Recently, I came across a video where a celebrity was talking in English and asked whether anyone in his audience wanted him to speak in other languages besides Tamil, Kannada, or Telugu. There the debate started about Hindi and he replied that Hindi was not the national language and people agreed with him in the comment section of the YouTube video. Shortly after, I saw another video where residents of Tamil Nadu protested against Hindi by adorning their houses with Kolam which was against the three language study policy in schools.
I will write both pros and cons according to my opinion.
As a person who loves to study languages and who has studied Hindi right from the KG level, I can say that it has helped me a lot. I can understand Hindi movies, serials, people in northern states, and also literature. Hindi is a beautiful language and very easy to learn. Hindi consists of words from Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and I guess many other languages too because of all the invasions that happened mostly in the northern parts of India.
As for my parents, my dad had not studied Hindi as it was not introduced before Independence. My mom however had studied it and it helped us because she could teach us too. My dad liked Bollywood songs and even though he did not understand the language, he would listen to the songs by Manna Dey, Pankaj Mullick, Mohammad Rafi, Hemant Kumar, etc.
Hindi can unite different states because the language is easy to grasp and it will be easier for people to communicate with each other. The Akshar mala is the same for all Indian languages and it is better than English because the general public may be uncomfortable speaking English with total strangers.
I remember traveling to Kukke from Kasargode and I had to use sign language because the bus conductor did not know any other language besides the Kannada dialect. It was very difficult for me to communicate. If only they had understood Hindi or English or any other southern language at least.
This is why most Kerala natives score more than others because here we learn not one but several languages. Malayalam, Hindi, English, and Sanskrit in school. Tamil is very similar and so people understand it easily. Foreign languages like French are taught in colleges and people now learn it through the Duo app.
There are not many cons but when it comes to grades, learning a language that is not familiar in any way can pose a threat to pursuing higher studies. Marks for the Hindi language paper could determine the overall CGPA and thus affect the rank. So, it would be better to remove the grading system in language learning and instead devote it to another subject or else introduce a new subject like life skills that include swimming, driving, etc,
I remember learning moral science and I am not even sure why it was taught. Instead, if we had been taught driving, it would have been really helpful. Also, first aid and how to administer CPR would have been great.
So, the right kind of education does help a student to progress in life, and language learning does not impede in any way.
Are you interested in learning a foreign language? Take it as a challenge to learn one.
