Arunachal only state in NE which adopted Hindi as lingua franca: CM Pema Khandu

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Wednesday that Arunachal is the only state in the northeast region which has adopted Hindi as its lingua franca.

The Chief Minister has also announced that a suitable plot of land would be allotted for the early establishment of a Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (Central Institute of Hindi) Regional Centre in Arunachal Pradesh.

Addressing on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Department of Hindi, Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) here, Khandu informed that the state government’s proposal for the establishment of a Kendriya Hindi Sansthan has been accepted by the central government and the onus is now on the state to donate sufficient and suitable land for establishment of the institute’s regional centre.

The Sansthan, an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Education with its headquarters at Agra, runs eight Regional Centres – three of them in the northeast region -- Guwahati, Shillong and Dimapur.

Director of the Sansthan, Prof Sunil Baburao Kulkarni was present at the function.

“I promise to Prof Kulkarni that the process for locating the plot of land would be started immediately,” the Chief Minister assured.

Congratulating the Hindi Department of RGU on the completion of 25 years of its existence and churning out Hindi language scholars, the Chief Minister said that students of the department have excelled in their fields like poetry, storytelling, novel writing, etc.

“I have watched them go places and I take pride in them,” he said.

Underscoring the significance of Hindi as a language of the masses, he said that Hindi has been a deciding factor in India’s struggle for freedom.

“Hindi as the language of communication between various regions and communities, united the people to fight the British and gain Independence,” he pointed out.

In the context of Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu said that Hindi plays a pivotal role in uniting the diverse ethnic texture of the state.

“Yes, our Hindi may not be of the purest form but it’s the sole medium of communication between different tribes and communities of the state.

All other northeastern states have their one common language of communication except Arunachal. So we developed our own Hindi and perfectly communicated with each other. Significance of Hindi as a language in Arunachal therefore gets bigger,” he said.

Khandu encouraged RGU to take an active role in refining and polishing the Hindi spoken by the people of Arunachal.

“By enhancing it, we can further strengthen our connection with the rest of India and establish Arunachal as a significant centre for Hindi learning and promotion,” he said.

Khandu observed that the widespread use of Hindi in Arunachal has opened doors for many talented individuals in the entertainment industry, especially in Bollywood and Hindi singing reality shows on national television.

“Our command over the language has allowed Arunachalis to showcase our state’s talent on the national stage. Strengthening our Hindi language skills will continue to unlock more opportunities for our people in diverse fields across India,” the Chief Minister added.