Hindi Diwas celebrations in Sri Lanka

Hindi Diwas was celebrated on September 14 at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India, Colombo. Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay who was the Chief Guest at the event posing for a photo with Hindi enthusiasts, scholars, teachers and students on the occasion.

Hindi Diwas was celebrated on September 14 with great zeal and fervour at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India, Colombo.

Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay was the Chief Guest at the event, which saw the participation of around 75 Hindi enthusiasts, scholars, teachers and students from all over Sri Lanka.

Guests at the event were welcomed with a traditional Kandyan dance. Several musical performances of Bollywood and Sinhala songs, highlighting the close cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka were also showcased.

Speaking on the occasion, the Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay highlighted the role of Hindi language and literature in strengthening millennia-old cultural, linguistic, literary, and religious ties between India and Sri Lanka.

He also elaborated at length on the importance of lighting the traditional lamp and Saraswati vandana, both of which are testimonies of civilization linkages between “cultural twins” – India and Sri Lanka.

On this occasion, a group of 18 Sri Lankan students who have been offered Government of India scholarships to study Hindi in India were also felicitated. As a part of the scholarship, the visit of the students, academic fees and local hospitality at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (KHS) or Central Institute of Hindi, Agra for one year will be fully sponsored. The High Commissioner interacted with the selected students who left for India on September 15 and conveyed his best wishes for their stay in India.

Hindi students of the Centre who have successfully completed their KHS courses were also honoured during the Hindi Diwas celebrations.

In commemoration of the Hindi Diwas, SVCC launched several islandwide competitions, such as a Hindi essay writing competition, Hindi storytelling competition, Hindi poem recitation competition and Hindi Solo singing competition. These competitions focus on promoting Hindi by providing a platform to Hindi enthusiasts in Sri Lanka to express their literary and linguistic talents. The competitions are being organised throughout the month of September 2022.