– Grand Opening of Hindi Fortnight at IGNCA
– Various Programmes and Competitions to be Held from September 16 to 30
The Hindi Pakhwada began at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) on Wednesday in an enthusiastic and dignified atmosphere. The Hindi Pakhwada, being organised by the Rajbhasha Vibhag of IGNCA from September 16 to 30, was inaugurated by Member Secretary Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi.
On the occasion, IGNCA Dean and HoD of the Kalakosha Division Prof. Sudhir Lal, HoD of the Kalanidhi and Janapada Sampada Division and Director of the Rajbhasha Vibhag Dr. Ajit Kumar, also expressed their views.
Member Secretary Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi appealed to the officers and employees of the Centre to use Hindi in their official work and also issued an appeal in this regard. This was followed by a captivating Odissi dance performance by Ms. Tapoja Datta, Senior Hindi Translation Officer at NITI Aayog, and her group, which mesmerised the audience.
Various programmes, workshops and competitions are being organised during the Hindi Pakhwada to encourage the use of Hindi, writing in Hindi and creative expression in the language.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi said, every year, we fill in certain figures and statistics and send them to the places where they are required. But the question is: does our work really get completed just by filling in these figures, or does it bring some change in the way we work, in our attitude towards work and in our methods of working? Does it bring any change in our thinking? We should all reflect on these questions.
We all know that languages enrich us culturally. They are the medium of our expression and communication. Therefore, if we do not enrich our language, we will certainly and gradually find ourselves once again falling into a kind of intellectual slavery.
He further remarked, today, in the age of artificial intelligence, many things are becoming easier. Translation has also become very simple. People can translate anything from English into Hindi within a few seconds. This is also a matter of concern because a person no longer has to apply his or her own mind for such tasks. Someone else does the thinking, and we work with someone else’s mind. At times, we are not even able to check whether the result is correct or incorrect.
If this tendency gradually becomes a part of our thinking, a time may come when we will slowly forget the correct use of language. Our awareness of spelling, the use of the anuswar, where a particular linguistic form should be used, and how a particular sound is produced will gradually disappear. And when our awareness becomes weak, we will, in a way, become like the machine that we are using today. That would be very harmful for us.
Concluding his remarks, Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi reiterated, our language is the best medium for expressing our culture. Therefore, if we keep our language strong and enrich it, we will certainly become better carriers of our culture. Our Centre is a major national and international institution engaged in nurturing, preserving and documenting Indian culture. Therefore, it is our collective responsibility to strengthen and enrich our language.
This resolve should not remain limited to the Hindi Fortnight or to these 15 days. It should not remain limited to an annual programme either. Rather, we should make it a regular part of our lives and our thinking. Only then can we all move forward and achieve progress and advancement.
The special attraction of the inaugural ceremony was the Odissi classical dance performance by Ms. Tapoja Datta, Senior Hindi Translation Officer at NITI Aayog, and her group. The graceful expressions, rhythm and aesthetic beauty of the performance captivated the audience.
Hindi Pakhwada to Feature a Variety of Programmes:
A Hindi Workshop will be organised on September 17. On September 18, a Memoir Writing Competition will be held. A Hindi Note and Draft Writing Competition will be organised on September 21.
On September 22, a competition featuring patriotic songs, folk songs and other musical presentations will be organised for the officers and employees of the Centre.
On September 23, the selection process for the Member Secretary Hindi Promotion Award Scheme, recognising officers and employees for outstanding work in Hindi, will be conducted.
On September 24, a Hindi Dictation and Handwriting Competition will be organised for employees in the MTS category.
The closing ceremony of the Hindi Pakhwada will be held on September 30. On the occasion, the Member Secretary will present awards and certificates to the successful participants of the various competitions.
The objective of the Hindi Pakhwada organised by IGNCA is to promote the use of Hindi in official work and to encourage creative interest, literary sensitivity and cultural awareness towards the language.
