A wide cross section of Indian Americans in New Jersey joined hands with academicians and community leaders to kick-start a campaign for teaching Hindi to the younger generation through practicing Indian culture in the United States.
Delivering the key-note speech at the launch of Yuva Hindi Sansthan, a youth centered Hindi learning institute, New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-NJ District 17) said, "The popularity of Hindi is growing in American schools, colleges and universities."
"The Indian-American community has a strong presence in the United States, especially in New Jersey and it should reflect in academic curriculum of educational institutions," he commented.
Initiated by well known linguist Dr. Surendra Gambhir, who is a former professor of Hindi at University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League University, Yuva Hindi Sansthan promises to pass on the legacy of Indian culture and languages to the younger generation of the Indian-American community.
Pointing out that the Indian-American community was currently enjoying tremendous opportunities for promoting Hindi in the United States, Dr. Gambhir said, "Indians settled in the Caribbean didn't have such opportunities. As a result, the current generation of Indians in countries like Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname, was deprived of learning their own language of their ancestors. However, Indian culture continued to be part of the Caribbean society. In the United States, our language and culture can be spread around in a variety of ways for which government help is available. We should take advantage of facilities available in the United States."
Gambhir said the federal government recognized Hindi as one of the strategic languages under national security and economic considerations. "Due to the current official status of Hindi, a number of programs have been undertaken. All such programs require cultural connections that encourage involvement of our community," he said.
H.R. Shah, chairman and CEO of TV Asia, a leading television channel that reaches out to the Indian community around the United States and Canada, said, "Hindi is not the language of a region, it is a world language that engages all people of the Indian Diaspora." Shah appealed to the Indian-American community to help strengthen the efforts to promote Hindi.
Dr. Surendra Gambhir and his linguist wife, Vijay Gambhir, discussed ways to develop partnerships between government agencies and community organizations for holding cultural-cum-educational programs, such as Startalk Hindi, learning and teaching in various parts of the United States.
Community leaders who extended their support to Yuva Hindi Sansthan included Dr. Ved Choudhary, assistant commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environment; Dr. Sudhanshu Prasad, Edison Councilman; Rajiv Prasad, Franklin Township Councilman; Manher Shah, president, India Business Association; noted Otolaryngologist Dr. Navin Mehta; and Gulshan Chhabra, CEO, Holiday Inn, Edison. Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, consul general of India in New York, and Dr. A. M. Gondane, deputy consul general, extended their support for the success of Yuva Hindi Sansthan.
