In a bid to promote Hindi globally, India is hosting students of the language from 13 countries, including Australia, Italy, Japan and South Korea. The Hindi scholars would be getting a taste of the culture and heritage of the country during their stay.
The 31 students are on a 10-day visit to India under a special programme of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) called the Hindi Vishwa Yatra.
Under the programme, the ICCR facilitates visits of Hindi-speaking students abroad to India so that they can experience the nation’s culture while interacting with institutions and audiences in the country. The programme typically includes a variety of sessions such as Hindi workshops, meetings with Indian universities and institutions as well as visits to places of cultural significance.
The current batch has students from Australia, Italy, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, South Africa, Poland, Fiji, Mauritius, Russia and Sri Lanka.
During their stay in India, scholars have visited the Red Fort, the Prime Minister’s museum and the National School of Drama, in New Delhi.
“The current batch of students have been either nominated by the universities and institutions where they are studying or are learning Hindi at the ICCR cultural centres,” ICCR president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said.
He said the visit was an effort to make Hindi a universal language and increase its footprint across the globe. The ICCR also runs special online Hindi classes for foreign students in association with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
