Two-day National Seminar under Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav commenced at CUPB

Bathinda, December 11, 2022: Aiming to explore the pathways for the holistic and multi-disciplinary growth of Indian languages, the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB), in association with Bharatiya Bhasha Smiti, Ministry of Education, GoI, organized the inaugural ceremony of a two-day National Seminar entitled "Inter-dialogue in Indian Languages: Present Condition and Way Forward" on Sunday.

This National Seminar, is being conducted by CUPB Dept. of Hindi under the patronage of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari on December 11-12, 2022, is a part of the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav to commemorate the birth anniversary of poet Subramania Bharati, a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry who penned songs to kindle patriotism during the Independence movement.

The Chief Guest of the inaugural ceremony was Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu Shri Ravinder Narayan Ravi. The Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker of this session were Dr. Chand Kiran Saluja, Member Trustee, Sanskrit Promotion Foundation and Prof. Panchnan Mohanty, GLA University, Mathura, respectively. Prof. Balvant Shantilal Jani, Chancellor, Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, presided over the inaugural session.

Addressing the participants through virtual mode, the Governor of Tamil Nadu and the Chief Guest of programme, Ravinder Narayan Ravi, stated that the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav is a tribute to Mahakavi Subramania Bharati, who was regarded as the bridge between the North and the South during his time. Observing his Jayanti as Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav would once again strengthen the national unity. He stated that the topic of this seminar is relevant in the present context as Bharatiya culture always possesses the beauty of unity in diversity with people live together while adopting their native mother tongue language, showing respect for each other's thoughts and working unanimously for the welfare of humanity. The deliberations of this seminar would help in devising a roadmap to restore India’s supremacy in the world as a Vishwaguru through inclusive development with integrated effort.

The Keynote Speaker Prof. Panchnan Mohanty, GLA University, Mathura, spoke on the topic of ‘The Indian Language: an untold story and way Forward." He expressed concern over the poor state of Indian languages, as according to the 2011 census, only 26% of Indians are bilingual and just 7% are trilingual. He stated that native languages are being phased out all over the world except in India. According to the 2011 census, India has 1369 rational mother tongues, each of which has contributed to the survival of the others. He emphasised that NEP 2020 has paved the way forward by emphasising the importance of teaching primary education in the child's mother tongue, as children understand concepts better in their mother tongue than in any other language.

The Guest of Dr. Chand Kiran Saluja, underlined the similarity of our ancient Indian values with UNESCO’s four pillars of education for the 21st century, i.e., learning to know, learning to do, learning to live and learning to be. He stated that all the languages of Indian culture have one aspect in common i.e. serving humanity.

Prof. Balvant Shantilal Jani, in his presidential address, highlighted that, just as Mahakavi Subramania Bharati is remembered for instilling the feeling of nationalism through his writings, Rajrishi Purushotam Das Tandon is remembered for his efforts in achieving Official Language of India status for Hindi. He mentioned that language is the identity of a nation and Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav would provide an opportunity to encourage the younger generation to learn more Indian languages and understand our cultural diversity in a better way.

At the outset, Prof. Monisha Dhiman, Director, IQAC, welcomed the Chief Guest and distinguished guests of the programme. Dr. Rajinder Kumar Sen, the Programme Director and HoD, Dept. of Hindi, elaborated the programme theme and coordinated the stage. Towards the end, Prof. B.P. Garg, Controller of Examinations and Registrar (O), expressed his gratitude towards the esteemed guests.

On this occasion, faculty members, research scholars, students of the university and students from other institutions participated in this programme.