All for Hinditva

A universal Hinditva project.

Universal, as in global, as in 100-odd countries. And Hinditva -- pardon the coinage -- as in Hindi, our national language.

All right, here it is in plain words: Indian scholars want to popularise Hindi as a world language and has made a global project of it. For which, with co-operation from the central government, they propose to compile a comprehensive volume of Hindi writings from the world over.

And believe us, there are plenty of Hindi writers, spread over some 100-plus countries.

Bhartiya Vidya Sansthan Director General Professor Hari Shankar Adesh, Trinidad, is acting as the chief editor (the project has already started). The volume will be published by the Kashi Nagri Pracharini Sabha.

The Union government, for a change, is all co-operation, with Prime Minister I K Gujral himself showing the way, with instructions to all Indian missions to help in this ambitious project.

The central government is also funding the compilation of an encyclopeadiea of Hindi writers. Research is already on in over 125 universities abroad where Indian as well as foreign scholars are engaged.

UNI