The first-ever Western Regional Seminar on Rajbhasha was inaugurated today. The two-day event, organised under the aegis of the Official Language Division of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, was attended by over 200 representatives, including Principals and Official Language Officers from Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and other educational institutions under MHRD in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.
Prof Sudhir K Jain, director, IITGN underlined the importance of school education in their mother tongue. He said, “We should think about how our country can develop in day-to-day lives. It can help if a child learns subjects in his/her own language, to develop a clear understanding. Second, if we want to have honesty towards Hindi, we will have to ensure that there is one-to-one connection and mapping between Hindi and excellence. Hindi teachers in schools should be more inspiring and impressive. We have to see if our Hindi-medium schools are better than English-medium schools so that parents choose to send their children to the Hindi medium. And the third important thing is, all regional languages should be promoted. Together, we should take care of all of them. If the regional languages will do well, Hindi will also do well. Our focus should not be on Hindi vs. English, rather it should be on Hindi and all other regional languages.”
The constitution has designated Hindi as an official language, but it has been left behind because the official language rules and regulations are not being followed completely. Hindi, as well as other regional languages, are struggling for survival in official correspondence. We are weakening the official language of our country with a bias. We need to get free from this bias towards Hindi.
Prof Nandkishor PandeyThe freedom fighting of this country was done through the medium of Rashtrabhasha Hindi. And as there is no option of freedom, self-respect, mother and motherland, there cannot be an option for Rajbhasha.
Prof Rajnish Kumar ShuklaGujarat is famous for its prosperity and cultural heritage. It is also one of the major centres of Indus Valley Civilisation. In modern times too, this state has remained ahead with its handicrafts, textile and diamond industries. This first regional seminar has been organised here especially for the officers from western Indian states, with an aim of discussing and finding solutions to the problems faced in the implementation of the official language.
Smt Suniti SharmaVarious aspects, rules and regulations related to official language implementation in government offices are being discussed in this seminar. The role of information technology for its implementation are also being deliberated and training is being provided to the participants.
