IIM Indore had been celebrating the Hindi Fortnight from September 01-15, 2019, during which a number of literary events were conducted at the Institute. These included Quiz, Antakshari, Noting & Drafting, Essay Writing and Extempore Competitions. The valedictory function of the fortnight took place on September 16, 2019 in the presence of Chief Guest Mr. Manoj Shrivastava, Additional Chief Secretary; Guest of Honour Mr. A.P. Mishra, Former Managing Director, UP PCL; Professor Himanshu Rai, Director, IIM Indore and Col. Gururaj Gopinath Pamidi (Retd.) CAO, IIM Indore.
The event began with a melodious singing performance by Mr. Gaurav Trivedi, GDA, MDP; followed by a poetry recitation by Mr. Rijul Chaturvedi, Academic Associate. Mr. Jainath Yadav, Hindi Officer, IIM Indore then welcomed the guests.
Mr. Manoj Shrivastava shared his experience while mentioning how he had selected the place for IIM Indore to be constructed at the current location. He mentioned various incidences from his life where he had been sensitive about the language Hindi. He noted that he not only chose Hindi as a subject while preparing for IAS, but also gave the exam in Hindi Medium. He threw light on the fact that people usually assume that language has an instrumental value, but the kind of culture and tradition we’ve been born and brought up in, we must know that the language isn’t just a resource, but worship. ‘You need to develop the intimacy with the language by understanding its depth. We need to understand the role of English in India today. Every other country is laying down rules for encouraging the use of their mother tongue. We in India should also implement the same’, he said.
Mr. A.P. Mishra noted that Indore is a city which has people from various regions speaking various languages—which makes it multilingual. However, maximum people in the city know Hindi and use Hindi as a communication language. Discussing about how various nations like China and Russia among a few, have made it compulsory for their citizens to speak their own languages, Mr. Mishra said—‘Hindi is a language which has emotions and feelings and one can easily express in this language. The world is changing, however I still prefer reading and writing in Hindi language’. He also shared various examples from Lord Ram’s life and gave insights on how to be a good team leader. ‘A good team leader must have the qualities of effective time management, encouraging the team members, respecting every team member and acknowledging their efforts’, he said.
Col. Pamidi also addressed the gathering. He noted that when we’re more comfortable in thinking in Hindi, when we dream in Hindi, it is always easier to write and speak in Hindi too. ‘Why to speak in any other language then?’, he said. He encouraged the use of Hindi in the Institute and appreciated the participants who took part in the Hindi Fortnight and congratulated the winners.
Professor Himanshu Rai said that we’re unable to differentiate between ‘country’ and ‘nation’, i.e. Desh and Rashtra. ‘We got the ‘country’ on Independence, but we need to work hard to get the nation—which is built on culture. Hindi and Sanskrit are the languages which have the essence of our culture. The people who assume that these two languages will also diminish, need to know that these are the two most easy languages in the world—spoken in the same way as they’re written, and hence they’re never going extint’, he said.
This was followed by the prize distribution to the winners and winning teams of the various competitions held during the fortnight. The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Rajesh Shrivastava, Hindi Department, IIM Indore.