CHAPTER VII
LANGUAGES

The Ministry of Education & Social Welfare continued during the year to assist vigorously in the promotion and development of Hindi, Modern Indian Languages, Sanskrit, as also English and certain other foreign languages. The programmes of the Ministry can be divided into the folowing four major sections:

A. Spread and Development of Hindi.

-This has been sought to be achieved by rendering financial assistance to Governments of non- Hindi speaking States in the appointment of Hindi teachers in their schools and in training them; by encouraging learning of Hin on a voluntary basis through correspondence courses; by providing financial assistance to voluntary organisations in the non-Hindi speaking States for holding Hindi teaching classes, and for certain other activities by providing scholarships to students belonging to non-Hindi speaking States for pursuing the study of Hindi beyond the stage of matriculation; by awards to Hindi writers belonging to non-Hindi speaking States; by undertaking through the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra, development of improved methodology of teaching Hindi to non- Hindi speaking students and preparation of suitable teaching material; by evolution of terminology in Hindi for adapting it as a "vehicle of scientific and technical knowledge; by faciliating through the Central Hindi Directorate, publication of Hindi boks and their free distribution in non-Hindi speaking States; by undertaking extension activities through this organisation; and by propagation of Hindi in countries abroad.

B. Promoton of Modern Indian Languages.

-This included facilitating the study of Modern Indian Languages, as second. language, by developing through the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, of improved teaching methodology preparation of teaching materials suited for the learning of different languages and training of second language teacheres in the Regional Language Centres of the Institute; promoting the adoption of regional languages as media of instruction at the university stage by vigorous implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Production of University Level. Books in these languages; stimulating authors to write Indian languages other than

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their own mother-tongue, by award of prizes for quality books wrwitten by such authors; accelerating the activities of the Taraqui-e-Urdu Board in the production, under its guidance, of academic and popular literature in Urdu, with a view to making available to she Urdu konwing public, boks on modern knowledge; and taking steps for the production of books in Sindhi.

C. Promotion of Sanskrit

-This took the shape of award of scholarships to students desiring to study Sanskrit, grant of financial assistance to voluntary organisations, engaged in the promotion of Sanskrit; training of Sanskrit teachers under the auspices of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan through its five Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeethas; holding of All-India elocution contests; and provision of financial assistance to Sanskrit writers.

D. Improvement of Foreign Language Teaching in the Country-

This was effected through the programmes undertaken by the Central Institute of English & Foreign Languages, Hyderabad; and institution deemed to be a university, whose activities included training of English and foreign language teachers; evolution of improved teaching methodology; preparation of suitable teaching materials for teaching these languages; and holding of seminars of foreign language teachers working in universities and other institutions. The institute has established a Regional Centre at Shillong for accelerating its activities in the eastern legion of the country.

A. SPREAD AND DEVELOPMENT OF HINDI

Teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi Speaking States

The Ministry continued to provide facilities for the teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking States by : (i) providing financial assistance to the non-Hindi speaking States in appointing Hindi teachers in their schools and providing such assistance for the training of their Hindi teachers; (ii) awarding scholarships to students belonging to non-Hindi Speaking States for the study of Hindi beyond the stage of matriculation; (iii) encouraging voluntary institutions to hold teaching classes by providing them financial assistance; (iv) providing funds to the Central Hindi Directorate for continuing and expanding its programme of Hindi correspondence courses; and (v) organising research to the methodology of teaching Hindi to different mother-tongue groups and allied matters through the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra.

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Financial Assistance to non-Hindi Speaking States

(i) Appointment of Hindi teachers in non-Hindi speaking States-

The Ministry continued to implement the above scheme in the year under report with a budget of Rs. 216 lakhs. This provision was utilised for giving grants on the basis of hundred per cent Central assistance to the non-Hindi speaking States for the maintenance of Hindi teachers appointed since 1966-67 under the scheme. The total expenditure incurred on the scheme during the Fourth Five-Year Plan is expected to be about Rs. 8363 lakhs. Nearly 22,000 teachers have been appointed in non-Hindi States since the inception of the scheme in the Second Five-Year Plan period. This scheme is proposed to be continued in the Fifth Five-Year Plan with a plan allocation of Rs. 900 lakhs.

(ii) Establishment of Hindi Teachers' Training Colleges in the non.-Hindi speaking States

-Grants to the tune of Rs. 10 lakhs were given on the basis of hundred per cent Central assistance to the various non-Hindi speaking States for the maintenance of 13 colleges/institutions already established for the training of Hindi teachers. The annual output of these institutions is estimated at 800 to 1000 trained teachers. The scheme is being continued in the Fifth Five-Year Plan with a plan allocation of Rs. 100 lakhs.

A ward of Scholarships for the Study of Hindi

The Ministry awarded during the year under report 1850 scholarships for study of Hindi at the post-matric stage by students belonging to non-Hindi speaking States. By the end of the Fourth Five-Year Plan the cumulative total of such scholarships is estimated to be 11,600. The scheme has an allocation of Rs. 70 lakhs in the Fourth Five-Year Plan. It is being continued in the Fifth Five-Year Plan with a plan allocation of Rs. 75 lakhs, and the number of awards is proposed to be substantially increased.

Financial Assistance to Voluntary Hindi Organisations

During 1973-74 grants amounting to Rs. 16 lakhs are expected to be given to 130 voluntary Hindi organisations for the spread and development of Hindi. It is estimated that, the different organisations have been running about 2000 Hindi classes in the non- Hindi speaking States. The expenditure on the scheme in the Fourth Five-Year Plan is expected to be about

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Rs. 80 lakhs. The scheme has been found useful and is being continued in the Fifth Five-Year Plan with a plan allocation of Rs. 95 lakhs.

Hindi Correspondence Courses

The Central Hindi Directorate continued and substantially ex- panded its Hindi Correspondence courses. Nearly 6000 students, foreign and Indian, whose mother-tongue is not Hidi, took advatage of tee courses during the year as compared to 4080 students during the previous year. The Directorate arranged five Personal Contact Programmes at Bombay, Madurai Madras, Bangalore and Calcutta, which benefited nearly 1000 students. The plan allocation for the scheme during the Fourth Plan is Rs. 15 lakhs. The scheme has found extremely useful and is being expanded in the Fifth Five-Year Plan with a plan allocation of Rs. 50 lakhs.

KENDRIYA HINDI SANSTHAN, AGRA

(a) Research and Material Production

-The Sansthan con- tinued to conduct research in teaching methodogy and materials production for facilitating the teaching of Hindi to non-Hindi speaking students by the use of improved methodology and materials. The Sansthan prepared teaching materials suitable for use in different linguistic regions in the shape of basic Hindi readers, bi-lingual textbooks, Hindi glossaries, phonetic drill books, Hindi grammar books, books on Hindi composition, translation exercise books, script exercise books, tapes, Hindi selftaught books, and books on Stylistics, etc. The Sansthan also prepared textboks, rapid readers, glossaries, etc for use in Nagaland and Mizoram.

(b) Advanced Teacher Training-

The Sansthan continued to arrange courses for imparting advanced teacher training to teachers working in the non-Hindi speaking States. Ten teachers took the Nishnat (equivalent to M.Ed.) examination of the Institute in 1973, and eleven more are working towards it in 1974. Besides, a number of Hindi teachers from non-Hindi speaking areas attended the Parangat (equivalent to B.Ed.) course of the Sansthan. The Sansthan has so far trained 100 teachers up to the Nishnat level and 1550 teachers up to the Parangat level. Besides, for meeting the specialised needs of the eastern region

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of the country, the Institute has trained 168 non-graduate untrained teachers from Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya. Further, with a view to modernising the teaching of Hindi in the existing institutions, the Sansthan conducts advanced orientation courses for practising Hindi teachers and has so far covered 950 such teachers.

(c) Activities at New Delhi Campus.

-The Sansthan is con- ducting, on the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs, intensive Hindi courses for Central Government employees. So far 12 such courses have been conducted in which 263 officials took part. Besides, Hindi courses are also conducted for foreigners and considerable progress has been made in this direction. 49 foreigners have so far aken advantages of these courses.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Award of Prizes to Hindi Writers belonging to non-Hindi Speaking States

The very concept of the development of Hindi as the link language of the country implies that more and more persons whose mother-tongue is not Hindi take to the use of Tindi, in addition to their own mother-tongue, for purposes of commounication and self-expression. For encouraging writers belonging to non-Hindi speaking States to write in Hindi also the Ministry continued its scheme of awarding Prizes to such writers for quality books written by them in Hindi. During the year 13 prizes were awarded bringing the total number of prizes awarded so far to 75. The value of the prizes is Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 depending on the excellence of the work. This sceme is being continued in the Fifth Five-Year Plan.

Evolution of Terminology

No language can become a means of communicating modern knowledge, including knowledge of science and technology, unless the necessary terminology is available in that language. With a view, therefore, to making Hindi more suitable for this purpose, the Standing Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology continued its work of evolution and finalisation of Hindi terms. It published during the year two volumes of glossaries containing about 1,30000 science terms and one volume containing about 80,000 terms of social, sciences and humanities. More volumes are under print.

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Publication of General Books and their Dissemination

The Central Hindi Directorate continued to operate during the year its scheme of publication of books in collaboration with publishers. Under this scheme, 1000 copies of books published are purchased by the Directorate and distributed free among schools, colleges, libraries, etc. The books published under the scheme invariably concern dissemination of modern knowledge to the general public. in the year under report, 16 books were published under the scheme bringing the total number of books published so far to 223. The scheme is being continued in the Fifth Five-Year Plan.

The Directorate continued to operate its scheme of purchase of Hindi books for making free gift to schools, colleges, institu- tions/public libraries in the non-Hindi speaking States. During the year under report, books of the value of about Rs. 2 lakhs were published for such distribution. This scheme is being continued in the Fifth Five-Year Plan.

The Directorate continued its other programmes of publication which include preparation of tri-lingual dictionaries. Out of 24 trilingual dictionaries proposed to be compiled, each involving Hindi, English, and one regional language, work on 20 such dictionaries hag been assigned to 12 universities and institutions.

The Directorate has also undertaken the preparation of a comprehensive German-Hindi, Hindi-German Dictionary in collaboration with Humboldi University, Berlin, GDR, Besides, the Directorate is contemplating the compilation of a Czech-Hindi, Hindi-Czech dictionary.

Extension Activities of the Central Hindi Directorate

The Central Hindi Directorate which is a subordinate office of the Ministry, besides implementing the schemes of correspondence courses, publication of books and their dissemination, continued during the year to implement its extension programmes. it organised a number of workshops for Hindi writers belonging to non-Hindi speaking States in different parts of the country and organised lecture tours of eminent Hindi scholars. It organised 12 exhibitions of books, including two such exhibitions abroad-one in Fiji and the other in Mauritius.

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Propagation of Hindi Abroad

Under this scheme, Hindi books worth about Rs. 70,000 were purchased during the year for distribution abroad, with a view to providing reading material to those who have already learnt Hindi. A Hindi printing press was gifted during the year to the Government of Mauritius for enabling it to undertake printing of Hindi books locally. The Ministry also continued during the year, to maintain three Hindi Lecturers working in the Caribbean countries and two part- time teachers in Sri Lanka. Two students from USSR, 4 from Fiji, 1 from Rumania and 2 from Mongolia were provided facilities to improve their knowledge of Hindi at the New Delhi campus of the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan by grant of fellowships to them under the scheme. Hindi primers/elementary books/self-taught books were supplied to Singapore, and Trinidad. At its request 4000 Tulsi calendars and badges were supplied to the Hindi Mahaparishad in Fiji in connection with the celebration of the Four hundredth anniversary of the writing of Ramcharit Manas. As already stated, exhibitions of Hindi books were held in Mauritius and Fiji and the preparation of German-Hindi. Hindi-German Dictionary was commenced.

Hindi Shiksha Samiti

During the year under report, the Hindi Shiksha Samiti and its sub-committees continued to give valuable advice to the Ministry for the implementation of its programmes and in the formulation of the Fifth Five-Year Plan relating to the spread and development of Hindi.

B. PROMOTION OF MODERN INDIAN LANGUAGES

Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore

The Institute maintained steady progress in the implementation of its different activities of teacher training, research in teaching methodology, preparation of teaching materials and study of tribal languages. Facilitating the implementation of the Three-Language Formula remained the prime concern of the Institute,

(a) Teacher Training-

The Institute trained 210 second language teachers in 13 regional languages through its Regional Centres at Mysore, Poona, Bhubaneswar, Patiala and Solan and made them competent to teach students. in these languages up to the school stage. This activity of the Institute has direct relevance to the implementation of the Three-Language Formula.

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The Institute also organised refresher courses in 9 languages for its ex-trainees during the year.

(b) Preparation of Teaching Materials

-In this field the Institute published material for the first level in Kannada, Telegu, Tamil, Malayalam and Urdu. Material for the second level in these languages is being prepared and similar work in other languages is under way. A composite course in Sanskrit on modern lines has been prepared by the Institute which is expected to be published soon. In the field of common vocabulary, the Institute printed Hindi-Kannada, Hindi-Tamil and Hindi-Malayalam vocabularies. Hindi-Kashmiri, Hindi- Telugu and Hindi-Oriya common vocabularies are likely to be printed soon. Besides, the Institute brought out during the year 16 publications on various aspects of linguistics and 10 manuscripts in this connection were ready for the press.

The institute prepared film strips for teaching Bengali, Dev- nagri, Assamese, Urdu, Gurmukhi, Tamil Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Tripuri scripts. The Institute also prepared a number of tapes containing teaching material in respect of several languages.

(c) Study of Tribal and Border Languages-

Apart from working on the teaching material relating to the tribal languages mentioned below, teams from the institute did field work in the different tribal language regions as a result of which the teaching material could be prepared.

Languages

The Institute collected data on Sema, Lotha, Mao, Tangkhul, Nagaland and Manipur), Goiri (Jammu), Mundari (Bihar) and Ladakhi (Ladakh), a phonetic reader of Angami was sent to press and such readers in respect of Brokskat, Balti, Sema Mundari and a grammar of Mundari were ready for the press. Materials regarding folk literature of Tripuri and Kuvi and a Tripuri-Bengali-Hindi-English dictionary were also ready for the press. Work is Proceeding on a Ladakhi instructional manual, a monograph on Ladakh; folk songs, a Ladakhi grammar, phonetic readers of Kota and Ladakhi and a grammar of Ao Naga.