Many from my generation studied 3 to 4 languages in school. I studied Odia, English, Hindi and Sanskrit. The last one, Sanskrit is not a language of the commoners, but is an ancient language known to be the origin of most Indian languages with quite bit of influence on the Dravidian languages which aren't sourced from Sanskrit.
There is a saying in Sanskrit - BINA AVYASE BISAM VIDYA, meaning "without practice the knowledge is poison". A language, skill or knowledge becomes useless when unused for a prolonged length of time.
It stood vindicated in my case, as no sooner I left High school, than I lost touch with Sanskrit. Till date I religiously read and follow Odia literature whenever I get a chance. My knowledge of Hindi is limited to watching Bollywood movies and talking to my Hindi speaking friends. I hardly read or write anything in Hindi but posses the ability to do so.
Soon English took over the rest as the primary mode of reading, writing and communicating, especially outside my home. It is the unofficial official language of the globe, overpowering and overshadowing the rest. Originated in England, Pax Americana propelled it further, as the language grew leaps and bound with the growth of United States which adopted the language as its own.
During World War II, a desperate Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister who was incessantly battered by the Nazi onslaught tried to mollycoddle US to drag it into the war with his famous quip - " We are common people separated by a common language".
He wasn't far from the truth. If English survives today, it is because of these two nations across the Atlantic who controlled the world at different stages in history. But the secret sauce behind its success - English constantly upgraded itself by liberally adding vocabulary from other languages, which includes thousands of words of Indian origin, not to mention one from my native state of juggernaut (originated from Lord Jagannath).
English started as the language of the rich in India, but continued enriching itself. Any product, system, organism or society needs continuous improvement and adaptability to sustain on the long run. Dinosaurs couldn't adapt and survive, but humans being intelligent animals could do so and still thriving. Same is applicable to the languages.
Been a long time I haven't come across any new word in Odia or Hindi. But English and Urdu are so different, who bear stark similarities. Both are flexible, don't have a script of their own (English uses Roman and Urdu used Arabic) and any stringent grammatical rules (For that matter American English hardly follow any grammar).
Urdu is a nice blend of Hindi, Persian and Arabic, a smooth blend like blended Scotch Whiskey. The flexibility of both has contributed to their richness, robustness and longevity. And they're the ones destined to flourish as long as they adapt as survivor of the fittest.
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