Venkat Raman
Auckland, December 28, 2022
Discussions, exhibitions, cultural programmes, poetry recitation and government-level meetings are among the items on the agenda of the next World Hindi Conference scheduled to be held in Nadi, Fiji from February 15 to February 17, 2023.
The Conference, known as Vishwa Hindi Sammelan, is the 12th in a series that began in 1975.
It is being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, in partnership with the Fijian government at the Denarau Island Convention Centre in Nadi.
Several international scholars will present papers under the theme, ‘Hindi: Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence.’
The three-day Conference will also honour individuals and institutions with Vishwa Hindi Samman (World Hindi Award) for their contributions to the development of Hindi.
New Zealand has many men and women of letters who have passionately pursued Hindi either as teachers or practitioners and hence the New Zealand government will do well to send an official delegation to the World Conference.
Modi on spontaneity of Hindi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the spontaneity, simplicity and decency of a language give meaning to the expression.
“Hindi has beautifully incorporated these aspects. From time immemorial, Hindi has been such a language which did not boycott any word just because it is foreign,” he said.
An External Affairs Ministry press release said that as a part of the 12th World Conference, several exhibitions related to the development of Hindi will be organised at the venue.
“The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will organise cultural programmes and Kavi Sammelan (Recitation of Hindi poetry), details of which will be announced shortly. While daily bulletins will be issued relating to the Conference at the Denarau Island Convention Centre, a Conference Report containing the discussions will be published later. ICCR will publish a Special Issue of ‘Gagananchal’ dedicated to the Conference,” the press note said.
External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar recently launched the 12th World Hindi Conference Logo, which was created through a nationwide competition.
Details of the Conference are updated regularly at the dedicated website which can be accessed at https://www.vishwahindisammelan.gov.in/
The importance of World Hindi meetings
Sunita Narayan, a teacher, writer and a promoter of the Wellington Hindi School since 1995, said that the decision to conduct the World Hindi Conference 2023 in Fiji was taken at the previous global event held in Mauritius in 2018.
“World Hindi Conferences are held every three years drawing experts, linguists, poets, writers and novices from all the corners of the world. At these Conferences, people who have contributed immensely to the development, maintenance and propagation of the language are recognised by the Indian government. The World Hindi Conference held in Mauritius from August 18 to August 20, 2018, decided the next event will be held in Fiji. It could not be held earlier due to the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions,” she said.
Ms Narayan, who received the Vishwa Hindu Samman at the Conference held in Mauritius in 2018, said that Ind-Fijians, who were once a majority, now account for less than 38% of the country’s estimated 850,000 people.
“All Indo-Fijians speak ‘Fiji Hindi,’ which is an Official Language of Fiji. Almost all Indo-Fijians are descendants of Girmityas, who were brought to Fiji between 1879 and 1920 under the infamous Indentured Labour System. All Indo-Fijians, living anywhere in the world foster ‘Fiji Hindi,’ while many have mastered the main Hindi language and literature,” she said.
Details of Registration
Those interested in attending the World Hindi Conference 2023 in Fiji can register their names online at the Vishwa Hindi Sammelan website. The Registration fee is Rs 2000 (about $39), Indian Students: Rs 500 (about $10); all other attendees should pay US$ 50 (about $80). The fee for foreign students is US$ 10 (about $16).
The fees can be paid online through Internet Banking or any valid Debit/Credit Card, as detailed on the website. The fee has been reduced compared to the last Conference to encourage more participation.
