In the Air Force, it is compulsory to speak Hindi to get a promotion. Commands must be given in Hindi.So my grandfather, a recipient of the AVSM (Ati Vishisht Seva Medal) had to prove he could speak at least a little Hindi in order to be promoted. The problem was that he could not speak Hindi. (For my foreign readers: that happens a lot in the south. Many south Indians - particularly in my grandfather's generation - find Hindi and other north Indian languages hopelessly difficult. No one around them speaks Hindi; it was not even compulsory to study it in school. Sounds, grammar and gender - they're all complicated.)My grandfather was told, "Tell that soldier to come here."Proudly, my grandfather said, "Idhar aao!""Good! Now send him back there."That was a difficult one. My grandfather had no clue how to say 'back' or 'there'. So he did the only thing he could think of doing. He … [Read more...]