Hindi

In the over 1000 years since its initial emergence, Hindi has enriched and expanded the Asian world, through the arts and other fields, and has spread to become the second most spoken language in the world. Yet World Hindi Day still remains largely obscure and sometimes is remembered only ‘after the day’. In Guyana, this almost happened. However, the moment was saved.
Thanks to various sections of the press and Guyana’s richness in orality, it is now common knowledge that The Guyana Hindi Prachar Sabha did commemorate World Hindi Day. This was done Sunday, January 8, 2012. The occasion comprised a rich cultural programme of songs, dances, Hindi recitals and literature displays, at the University of Guyana, Berbice Campus. The day is usually observed annually, January 10.  But why the fuss regarding Hindi?
Hindi is one of the official languages of the Republic of India, the other being English. Hindi is spoken by the majority of Indians and is considered one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Hindi is spoken not only in India, but in other parts of the world, wherever people of Indian origin have settled down. Further, with the increasing popularity of Indian, particularly Hindi films, Hindi has become a familiar language to many non-Indians.
So, the 2006 genesis of World Hindi Day maybe came a little too late. But better late than never – now Hindi is receiving growing interest even among Egyptians and Vietnamese.
When World Hindi Day 2010 was celebrated, jointly by the Embassy of India and the National Library of Vietnam, the occasion was most revealing. The function included Hindi Poetry Recitation Competition, Cultural Performances, prize distribution and honouring of Hindi Scholars of Vietnam. Separately, competitions on Hindi Word Puzzle, essay writing and calligraphy were organised and the winners were honoured at the function. The highlight of the function was singing of Hindi songs by Vietnamese.
Hindi is a direct descendant of Sanskrit through Prakrit and Apabhramsha, and has been influenced by Dravidian, Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Portuguese and English. In terms of difficulty, it ranks as one of the easiest and most logical languages to read, write, and pronounce.
Furthermore, Hindi speakers live all over the globe – in Germany, India, Mauritius, Nepal, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, the United States and Yemen, comprising 366 million speakers worldwide. In addition, Urdu – the official language of Pakistan – can be understood by speakers of Hindi, opening up yet another avenue of opportunity.
Currently, Hindi is gaining in global significance. For film buffs, Indian films (from the Indian film industry dubbed “Bollywood”) are the second most prolific in the world, behind Hollywood. Furthermore, Indian music is becoming increasingly influential in mainstream music in the United States, with elements from the language and traditional songs being integrated into songs by artists such as Sting, Missy Elliot, Redman, Shania Twain and Madonna. Many of these songs integrate not only Indian rhythms and melodies, but also lyrics.
In science, business, commerce, information systems, and digital media, India’s growth as a viable world economy has spurred investor interest in the region. Corporations looking to expand their operations and sales to the South Asian region will be recruiting people who are familiar with Hindi and the Indian culture, to market their products to a Hindi-speaking population.
Here on the local scene, Hindi is readily being used in chutney music. In fact, it goes way beyond the lyrics – the actual film songs in Hindi are being plagiarised. Rich in melody, tantalising rhythm, and just mesmerising in instrumentation, these Hindi songs actually form the kernel for most of the contemporary chutney songs.
Additionally, the kinship terms for Indian family members make Hindi stand out as an accurate and precise form for identification. In North America, even though many are abandoning these kinship referents, they point to a uniqueness of Hindi.