“Nadi chya kathawar ek naav hoti” (there was a boat near the river bank) reads a nervous Anil Kumar from the colourful pages of a Std V Marathi textbook, as a stern-looking traffic officer peers at him. Kumar, who hails from a village near Kanpur, has been living in Mumbai for more than 20 years, and claims that he can speak better Marathi than most auto drivers. “I can speak and read Marathi well, and my children go to Marathi medium schools. But this test is completely unnecessary. How does language matter, if we take commuters where they want to go?” asked Kumar.

Also Read: Want to drive an auto in Mumbai? Learn to read Marathi first