Statement 3 is entirely false. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 explicitly advocates for instruction in the home language, mother tongue, or local language at least until Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, wherever possible.

The policy encourages the learning of at least two native languages via the Three Language System and explicitly states that English (or any other language) should not be imposed on students as the sole medium of instruction at the elementary level.

A. Waiting for the Mahatma is a 1955 novel by R. K. Narayan. It follows the protagonist Sriram, who falls in love with an activist named Bharati and becomes involved in Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement.

B. So Many Hungers (1947) is Bhabani Bhattacharya's debut novel. Set against the 1942-43 Bengal famine and the Quit India Movement, it is a significant contribution to 'Gandhian Fiction'.

C. The Sword and the Sickle (1942) is by Mulk Raj Anand. The title was suggested by George Orwell. It is the final part of a trilogy that included The Village and Across the Black Waters.

D. Distant Drum (1960) is a novel by Manohar Malgonkar, an Indian author and former army officer whose works often reflect his military background.

Sri Aurobindo was an influential yogi, philosopher, and poet. A rough timeline of his major book publications (often compiled from earlier serializations in the journal Arya):

• The Mother (1928)
• The Life Divine (Book form: 1939-1940)
• The Synthesis of Yoga (Book form: 1948)
• The Future Poetry (Book form: 1953)
• The Hour of God (1959)

The poem "An Introduction" appears in Kamala Das's first volume of poetry, Summer in Calcutta, released in 1965.

This piece, highly autobiographical in nature, delves into Das's experiences in a patriarchal society. It is a poem of resistance and protest where she defends her choice to write in English against critics, addresses the oppressive expectations placed upon women in marriage, and challenges the male-centric governance and societal norms of India.

"The Calcutta Chromosome," a novel by Amitav Ghosh published in 1995, intertwines medical thriller elements with a futuristic narrative spanning Calcutta and New York City.

Inspired by Nobel laureate Sir Ronald Ross's malaria research discoveries in 1898, the novel won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1997. It weaves together historical scientific breakthroughs with speculative fiction, presenting a tale of mystery, science, and a clandestine quest for eternal life through chromosome transfer.

The correct chronological sequence is:

• C. Kanthapura (1938) by Raja Rao.
• A. The Financial Expert (1952) by R. K. Narayan.
• B. A Bend in the Ganges (1964) by Manohar Malgonkar.
• D. The Great Indian Novel (1989) by Shashi Tharoor.
• E. The God of Small Things (1997) by Arundhati Roy.

"A Country Called Childhood: A Memoir" was written by Deepti Naval, who is an Indian-American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema. She is not a sportsperson.

Other Explanations (Autobiographies of Sportspersons):

• Unbreakable: Autobiography of Indian Olympic boxer M.C. Mary Kom (2013).
• Playing It My Way: Autobiography of former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (2014).
• Open: A memoir by former professional tennis player Andre Agassi (2009).

A. Krishna Sobti: An eminent Hindi-language author. Her stories, like "Sikka Badal Gaya," vividly capture the impact of the Partition.

C. Saros Cowasjee: Author of novels like Goodbye to Elsa, whose works occasionally intersect with themes of displacement and the subcontinent's turbulent history.

E. Rahi Masoom Raza: Known for his seminal Hindi novel Aadha Gaon, which is a classic partition narrative depicting the impact of the division on Shia Muslims in a village in Ghazipur.

(Note: Shashi Deshpande primarily writes about the Indian middle-class woman's experience, while Bharati Mukherjee is known for immigrant and diaspora literature.)

A. The Collaborator (2011) by Mirza Waheed. A debut novel that unfolds in the tumultuous region of Indian-administered Kashmir near the border.

B. The Garden of Solitude (2011) by Siddhartha Gigoo. A significant contribution reflecting on the Kashmiri Pandit experience.

C. Roll of Honour (2012) by Amandeep Sandhu. A narrative reflecting the turbulence in Punjab during the 1980s, nominated for the Hindu Literary Prize.

D. The Half Mother (2014) by Shahnaz Bashir. A potent Kashmiri novel portraying the life of a mother searching for her disappeared son.