Overseas Indians, worried about their children losing touch with their roots and their mother tongue, now have a solution in the form of a new software that allows people to learn Hindi easily and swiftly.
This new software, christened 'Rishi' (the Sanskrit word for ascetic) and produced by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), was launched at a glittering function at Azad Bhawan in the Capital on Thursday evening.
"This is a big achievement for all those who care for Hindi and believe in the enduring cultural connections between overseas Indians and their motherland," said Minister of State for External Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh while launching Rishi.
"It will not only help to globalise the language but help India in its mission to make Hindi one of the languages of the UN."
The launch was attended by diplomats, cultural personalities and a large sprinkling of overseas students studying in India.
The software, which incorporates easy-to-learn methods through animation and an exhaustive Hindi-English dictionary, will be sent to all cultural centres and Indian missions abroad.
"All other languages like English and German spread in the world due to a plethora of sophisticated facilities that made the speaking and learning of these languages easy," Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}"All other languages like English and German spread in the world due to a plethora of sophisticated facilities that made the speaking and learning of these languages easy," Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}"But there has been a dearth of such facilities in the case of the promotion of Hindi and other Indian languages. This new software is a big step for the globalisation of Hindi," said Singh, who spoke in chaste Hindi in keeping with the spirit of the occasion.
"I am confident that ICCR will disseminate this software to intellectuals, teachers and students across the world," he said, congratulating Rakesh Kumar, Director General of ICCR, and Madhup Mohta, Director of ICCR, for taking the initiative to develop the software.
"We are confident Rishi will spark enthusiasm among all those who want to learn Hindi and relish its infinite richness," said Mohta, who conceptualised the project.
ICCR has been actively promoting awareness of the richness of Hindi abroad by holding the World Hindi Conference every three years. The next global conference will be held in 2006.