International Hindi Centre to be set up in US

New York: With a view to promote Hindi as a world language, plans are underway to establish a 'Hindi Centre' near New York that will serve as an academic and cultural hub and facilitate exchange programmes between Indian and American universities.

Consul General Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay assured the Indian government's support for the 'International Hindi Center' to academicians, business professionals, public officials and community leaders gathered for the 2nd International Hindi Conference at Rutgers University campus in New Jersey last week.

The center will serve as "vibrant hub" of academic and cultural activities focused on promoting Hindi as a world language, said Ashok Ojha, Managing Trustee of the Hindi Sangam Foundation, which organized the conference.

A resolution to set up the Hindi centre was adopted unanimously by the delegates at the three-day conference, chaired by Mulay.

Assuring his support to raise funds for the center, Mulay said, "Hindi Center will become a reality soon where all educational activities regarding Hindi learning including exchange programs and joint projects with India based institutions and universities will take place under one roof."

Presenting a blueprint of the centre, Hindi Sangam Foundation official Ved Chaudhary estimated that about USD 4 million would be required to set up an independent facility for the center in Central New Jersey, where Rutgers is located.

Hindi proponents from the US, Caribbean Islands and South American nations will be nominated by Hindi Sangam Board of Trustees to form the centre's board of advisors.

Rutgers's Department of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Literatures and the South Asia Studies Program co-hosted the conference, which was attended by over 250 delegates.

The theme of the conference was 'The Expanding World of Hindi: Possibilities and Challenges', reflecting the growing urgency for coordinated efforts between private and public language education and government communities to expand the quality of the Hindi language and literature education in and out of India.

The conference focussed on status of Hindi literature in Indian Diaspora and on the web, and Hindi story writing.

During the conference, senior Rutgers officials highlighted the growing relationship between the university and various institutions in India.