11th World Hindi Conference held in Mauritius

The 11th World Hindi Conference (WHC) was jointly organised by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of Mauritius over August 18-20

August 20, 2018

Hindi is the third most spoken language globally with total speakers counted at around 700 million; Hindi is a medium of teaching in around six hundred universities across 40 countries

The Conference was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Close to 300 global delegates attended the event, including representative from across India

During the event, Hindi scholars from around the world were honoured with ‘’Vishwa Hindi Samman’’ for their services in the field; Discussions at the event were centered on eight topics

The past foreign destinations for the event include Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Suriname, USA and South Africa; The first World Hindi Conference was held in 1975 in Nagpur

The 11th World Hindi Conference, or Vishwa Hindi Sammellan, an event to popularise Hindi around the world, was held at Mauritius’ capital Port Louis over August 18-20. Hindi is the third most spoken language globally with total speakers counted at around 700 million. The event, inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, was attended by India’s External Affairs MInister Sushma Swaraj and other official delegates. Close to 300 global delegates attended the event, including representative from across India. The main theme of the Conference, which was jointly organised by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of Mauritius, was Hindi Vishwa aur Bharatiya Sanskriti, or World of Hindi and Indian Culture.

The decision to organize the event in Mauritius was taken at the 10th World Hindi Conference held in Bhopal, India in September 2015. The first World Hindi Conference was held in 1975 in Nagpur, India, with the goal of uniting the global Hindi knowing population. The event is now being held every three years. The past foreign destinations for the event include Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Suriname, USA and South Africa. Hindi is spoken widely across the world owing primarily to settlement of Indians in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Carribeans over the past three centuries. The language has helped in bridging divides and achieving improved cultural and trade ties. Hindi is currently being considered for the status of an official language at the United Nations.

During the event, Hindi scholars from around the world were honoured with ‘’Vishwa Hindi Samman’’ for their services in the field of Hindi. Discussions at the event were centered on eight topics. Additionally, a number of exhibitions focusing on the developments in Hindi language were organised, along with cultural programmes by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. Currently, Hindi is a medium of teaching in around six hundred universities across 40 countries. While Mauritius has constituted a “Hindi organisation”, it is an official language in Fiji. Following the 11th Conference, a newsletter (Sammelan Samachar), a souvenir (Sammelan Smarika) and a report on the discussions and recommendations from the academic sessions are to be published.

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