In the narrow, arid alleys of Kurussukupam, Kel’nna was a household name. She was the devoted wife of a rickshaw driver, tirelessly caring for a brood of children with her calloused hands and unwavering spirit.

Her real name was rarely used. She was known simply as Kel’nna. When she examined a piece of cloth or some vegetables, she would tilt her head and ask earnestly, “Kel’nna?” – her version of “Combien, anna?”, mixing French with the old colonial copper coin called the anna.

Kel’nna had a whimsical obsession with Frenchifying the names of her children, as if she dreamed of making them into tiny French royals ruling over the domain of the sidewalk. Thus Arumugam became “Six Visages”, Ezhumalai “Sept Montagnes”, Karuppusamy “Noir Dieu”, the limping one was endearingly called Nondi Karuppan, “Boiteux Noir”, and Paarthasarathi proudly went by “Boîte-à-Sardine”, or Sardine Tin.

In April, with the start of the new academic year, the Central Board of Secondary Education put in place its three-language rule which mandates that students learn at least two Indian languages. Since English is considered a “foreign language”, students will no longer be offered the option of studying French or German or other such languages.

In Pondicherry, the sidelining of French will extinguish the light in...

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