Assembly of India had adopted Hindi, written

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1 Speech of The Right Honourable Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth on the occasion of Hindi Diwas Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture Saturday 8 October h Honourable Ministers, Excellency Shri Abhay Thakur, High Commissioner of India Respected officials of the Indian High Commission Secretary General of the World Hindi Secretariat Chairperson of the Hindi Speaking Union, President of Arya Sabha Mauritius, President of the Hindi Pracharini Sabha, President and Members of Institutions working for the promotion of Hindi and Socio-Cultural Institutions, 1

2 Distinguished Guests, Hindi Prémi - Behanon, bhaiyo aur pyaré bachcho. NAMASTÉ It gives me immense pleasure to extend my greetings to all of you on the occasion of Hindi Diwas. On 14 th September 1949,the Constituent Assembly of India had adopted Hindi, written in Devanagari script, as the official language of the Republic of India. 2

3 Today Hindi has become an influential language globally which is spoken by about half a billion of people around the world. In Mauritius, Hindi has a very special place in our lives. Hindi hamaré purva-jon ki bhasha hai When our ancestors came as Indentured labourers, they brought along their religious, cultural and linguistic heritage which they preserved and handed over to us as legacy. 3

4 We owe a lot to them and on this special occasion, let us bow down to their memory and greatness. We must not forget our history and it is always befitting to remind ourselves of the past when we meet in gatherings like the present one. Our younger friends in the audience must know that under colonial rule, everything was done to suppress all that was not European. Other cultures were looked down upon. 4

5 It is with great difficulty that not only the Hindi Speaking, but also other groups and communities struggled to keep alive their culture and their language. Hindi gained popularity in Mauritius with the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi in our island. He was followed by Manilall Doctor. It was at that time that the baitkas started to play a significant role in the teaching of Hindi. Also, the first newspaper in Hindi Hindustani - was published. The paper served as a link to strengthen unity among indentured labourers. 5

6 All of you may not recall, but let me remind you that before Independence when one Mr. Frank Ward was sent to Mauritius as colonial educator, he made the last attempt to kill Hindi in this country by not allowing Hindi and other Indian languages to be taught at school. It was then that the Bissoondoyal Brothers came forward and put a full stop to this. Bhayo aur Behenon, Hindi ka Mauritius ke itihaas sé bahut gehra rishta hain. 6

7 Iss bhasha né Mauritius mé Indian origin ke logon ki pragati mé bahut bhaari yogdaan diya hain. Bahut baar humko lagta hain ki Hindi né kewal dharm aur sanskriti ki raksha karné mé madad ki hain. Aisé mé hum bhool jaaté hain ki iss bhaasha né desh ke baré-baré netaawon ka sandesh aam janta tak pahunchaya hain. Iss bhaasha né universal suffrage dilaané mé sahaayta ki hain. 7

8 Indeed, Hindi has played a great role in our country. Today I am proud to say that my Government is leaving no stone unturned to promote Hindi along with other ancestral languages. Hindi is being taught at primary and secondary levels. It has been given the same status as any other examinable subjects since Moreover, the teaching of Hindi is still maintained and facilitated by the Ministry of Education in dedicated Hindi Schools where classes are attended by children as well as adults. 8

9 I must here place on the record the contribution of the Arya Sabha and of the Hindi Pracharini Sabha in promoting Hindi at National level. The latter has been successfully conducting Hindi examinations in collaboration with the Hindi Sahitya Samelan of India. Many students have thus brilliantly succeeded in the Praveshika up to Uttama examinations and have forged a career in Hindi. 9

10 In 1994, my then Government set up the Hindi Speaking Union to promote the Hindi language in its spoken and written forms amongst all people interested in Hindi, with special reference to historical, cultural, artistic, economic and social development. Facilities have been provided to promote friendship and understanding between the Hindi speaking peoples of the world and to engage in educational work designed to further this initiative. 10

11 During the First World Hindi Conference in Nagpur, India, it was agreed that a World Hindi Secretariat be hosted in Mauritius. Last year during the visit of His Excellency the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji, the foundation stone of the building was laid and it is situated next to this building itself. Construction works of the building have started and the World Hindi Secretariat is expected to be ready for the Eleventh World Hindi Conference to be held in Mauritius in

12 As wished by Shri Modi ji, I will ensure that the World Hindi Secretariat be equipped with latest technological tools for the promotion of Hindi. The Modi Government, as you are aware, is actively engaged in the promotion of Hindi. For his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, Shri Narendra Modi spoke in Hindi and at this year s UNGA, Shrimati Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister of India also delivered her speech in Hindi. 12

13 In so doing, they showed the commitment of the Indian Government to give Hindi its welldeserved place on the international platform. In this respect, Mauritius fully supports India in the initiative to establish Hindi as an official language at the United Nations. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mauritius is proud to have eminent Hindi writers and poets. Hindi literary collection of Mauritius is very impressive. Many of the books have been also translated in other languages. 13

14 Eminent writers such as Abhimanyu Unuth, Prahlad Ramsurrun, Mooneeshwarlall Chintamanee, - just naming a few - have written the name of Mauritius Hindi literature in golden alphabets. There are several established institutions that organise activities to promote Hindi and I seize this opportunity to thank them for the excellent work they are doing. Throughout the year, essay competitions, elocution contests, sam-melans, vichargoshthis are held. 14

15 Also, we have to congratulate the MBC for continuously promoting Hindi and other ancestral languages. Ladies and Gentlemen, Languages are powerful vehicles of thoughts. Language translates our thoughts to words, feelings and expressions. We are indeed lucky to live in a country where our diversity blossoms and blooms in unity. Unity is our strength for peaceful co-existence, happiness, economic progress and success. 15

16 Our cultural mosaic shapes our identity. Culture including language paves the way for a human-centered, inclusive and equitable development. No development can be sustainable without it. Bhaiyo aur behanon, Hindi sirf ek baat-cheet karné ki bhasha nahin hain. Hindi hamari pehchaan hai. Hamare purva-jon ka dharohar (heritage) hai, aur isski raksha karna hamara param kartavya hai. 16

17 Issi ke saath main High Commission of India ko iss aayojan ké liyé badhaayi deté huwé, aap sabhi ko Hindi Divas ki bahut bahut shubh-kaamnaein deta houn. Mujhe poori aasha hai ki aap sabhi milkar issi tarah sé Hindi ki pragati mé apna yogdaan dété raheingé. DHANYAAVAD. 17

World Hindi Day celebrations -

World Hindi Day celebrations - 13 th January 2017 at IGCIC, Phoenix Aap sabhi ko Vishwa Hindi Diwas ki haardik shubhkaamnaaein, I would have liked to continue this speech in Hindi but unfortunately for