NEW YORK: More than 1000 delegates and a host of dignitaries are expected to attend the three-day 8th World Hindi Conference which is scheduled to open at the United Nations headquarters here on July 13.
The conference, being sponsored by India's External Affairs Ministry in cooperation with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New York and several other Indian-American organizations, is expected to attract delegates from across the world, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said on Monday.
Sharma, who also inaugurated the website of the Conference, stressed on the need for making Hindi simpler so that people can have a better understanding of the language.
Noting that Hindi, like Sanskrit, has a place in literature and academic world, he said the language needs to adopt common terms so that people can connect with it.
It is important for Diaspora to understand the heritage of their mother country and for that it is important they understand their own languages, the minister said.
Pointing out that Hindi is the second-most spoken language in the world after Chinese, Sharma said the conference will deliberate on issues related to the growth and presence of Hindi in the world, including its teaching in foreign countries, use of the Indian language in information technology and measures to increase its popularity.
'Hindi at World Stage' will be the theme of the meet, Sharma said, adding that Hindi with its rich literature is growing in popularity both at the home front as well as abroad.
However, he praised other Indian languages as well for having equally rich literature and huge audiences.
This will be the first time that such a conference would be held in the United States, organizers said.
The first World Hindi Conference was held at Nagpur more than 30in 1975 at the initiative of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Others were held at Port Louis (1976), New Delhi (1983), Port Louis (1993), Port of Spain (1996), London (1999) and Paramaribo in Surinam (2003).
In addition to focusing on increasing the use and propagation of Hindi worldwide, the conference would also aim at strengthening its heritage. It would also provide a forum to scholars where they can discuss global process of growth and development of the Indian language.
The programme includes several academic sessions, cultural shows and exhibitions.
