Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 10th World Hindi Conference in Bhopal starting on September 10. The three-day world’s biggest Hindi conference will also see Amitabh Bachchan batting for the promotion of language spoken by the majority. More than 2,000 representatives from 27 countries are expected to take part in the meet.
The conference is organised by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to promote Hindi globally. The theme this year is — “Hindi jagat: Vistar evam Sambhavanai” (World of Hindi: Expansion and Scope).
The Madhya Pradesh Government is the partner State with the MEA for the conference this year. Besides, Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi University from Bhopal and International Mahatma Gandhi Hindi University in Vardha too are associated in organising the conference.
The roads in Bhopal have been highlighted with names of various Hindi litterateurs. “This is going to be the biggest ever World Hindi Conference,” said MEA Minister Sushma Swaraj.
In a special appearance, Amitabh Bachchan and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will address the gathering on the concluding day of the conclave on September 12. Sushma said Bachchan has been an inspiration for promotion of Hindi through movies and he will speak on the subject “Aao Achchhi Hindi bolein (let us speak good Hindi)”.
Amitabh’s father Harivansh Rai Bachchan was an Officer on Special Duty involved in promotion of Hindi language in the MEA. Telecom and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan too will make speeches on the potential of promoting Hindi in their sectors.
The conference will have 28 sessions on a range of subjects relating to Hindi, including usage of the language in foreign policy, administration, courts, science and information technology. There will also be discussion on growth of Hindi in foreign countries, child literature, Hindi in Girmitiya countries, Hindi in non-Hindi States, Hindi learning facility for foreigners in India, role of Hindi-Urdu ties in expansion of the language and purity of Hindi in journalism.
Microsoft, Google and Apple will be among a number of technology companies which will participate in the exhibition at the event where they will highlight their efforts to popularise the language. Indian Missions abroad have been told to invite people and institutions working for promotion of Hindi. From India, heads of Hindi departments of all universities along with five students each have been invited.20 Indians and another 20 personalities from abroad will be honoured at the conference.
Sushma said all the Chief Ministers have been invited for the three-day conference. “I called up Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumarji... There is no politics in Hindi,” she said.
With the success of International Yoga Day, India will now like to push for making Hindi as one the official languages in the United Nations. However, Sushma said for that India would need 129 votes in its favour in the United Nations General Assembly. She hoped once India gets permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council, it will be able to get Hindi included in the list.