Mauritius: The promotion of the Hindi language through innovative and creative ways among the youth was the gist of the message of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, yesterday, at Phoenix.
She was speaking at an event organised by the World Hindi Secretariat (WHS) on the occasion of World Hindi Day annually, observed on 10 January. The theme for this year is Hindi: Traditional Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence.
The Member of Parliament, Mrs Subhasnee Luchmun Roy; the Counsellor of the High Commission of India, Mr Navin Gulati; the Deputy Secretary General of the WHS, Dr Madhouree Greedharee and other personalities were present at the event.
In her address, Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun dwelt on the importance of encouraging the use of Hindi through theatrical performances, elocution contests and singing competitions. The holding of exchange programmes and youth seminars was also highlighted by the Vice-Prime Minister.
Mr Gulati spoke of the concerted efforts that are being made in Mauritius to promote the Hindi language at schools. He also conveyed the message of the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, who extended his best wishes to Hindi lovers on the occasion of World Hindi Day.
A training workshop aiming to ease the teaching of Hindi grammar at the Upper Primary Level is being held today for Primary Hindi Educators. The training is being conducted by a resource person, Professor Heinz Werner Wessler, from the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the University of Upsala, Sweden, who is currently in Mauritius.
World Hindi Day, also known as Vishwa Hindi Diwas, marks the day when Hindi was first spoken at the United Nations General Assembly in 1949. The very first World Hindi Day was celebrated on 10 January 2006. It is an occasion to recognise Hindi as a universal language and to create awareness about the use of the language.