Kolkata: Sanskrit and foreign languages like French, German and Chinese could be the casualties of the state’s compulsory Bengali policy. While Sanskrit as a third language from Class V to VIII has been popular among some schools for decades, foreign languages as third language have gained currency in the past 10 years.Till last year, South City International School had French as compulsory third language from Class I. It changed this year for logistical reasons and now students can opt for either French or Chinese from Class III. But if it became compulsory for students to study Bengali, principal John Bagul said students who have Hindi as second language will have to abandon French and take up Bengali.“There’s a lot of interest in foreign languages because we are not global citizens. Many students will later travel abroad, either for higher studies or career assignments,”he said. Bagul added he believed learning Bengali was important, but making it compulsory will restrict foreign languages while there will be many avenues for students to learn Bengali beyond school in Kolkata.Future Foundation offers French as a second language from Class I. Mahua Roy is happy she chose Bengali as the third language when her son Sushmit graduated to Class IV. “Had I opted for Hindi, it would have been big trouble,” she remarked.That is exactly the worry confronting Sushmita Chowdhury, whose son Arinjay has French as second language and Hindi as third. “I wanted him to learn Hindi because he will learn Bengali at home. If the government enforces Bengali, he will have to switch subjects at a higher class.”Many in DPS Ruby Park also study French and German as third language. Darshana Purakayastha's daughter Madhura who has Bengali as second language took up French as third language instead of Hindi because she could easily pick up the latter from conversing with friends and watching television.Purakayastha said it will be unfortunate if students are made to stop learning a new language to know something they already do. “Let’s give kids a break. The best thing we can do is give them a better future.”While many parents have chosen foreign languages for their children, Sanskrit is high on demand too, particularly among students who have Hindi as second language. Physician Simanti Niyogi opted for Sanskrit for her daughter Shrinjita because having studied Hindi and Sanskrit herself, she was more comfortable with it. “If we had opted for Bengali, we would have had to appoint a tutor because I couldn’t have guided her.”When Bengali becomes compulsory, a lot of Kolkata kids will miss out on learning a language that they couldn’t have picked up either at home or in the locality.