Over 400 people from across the United States and India participated in the 15th convention of the International Hindi Association in Cleveland, Ohio, April 29 to May 1. The Northeast Ohio chapter of the International Hindi Association hosted the event around the theme, ‘Education of Hindi in the next generation.’ Dr Anoop Kapoor, who took over as convener of the convention after the sudden demise of Dr Mahadeo Chand in April, launched the event. Kapoor dedicated the event in memory of Dr Chand, who was pivotal in bringing the event to town. Dr Chand worked tirelessly for the cause of Hindi in the US and was awarded the Hindi Ratn, the IHA’s highest honor. The award was received by his wife Sushila Mohanka, who will be the IHA president for 2012-2013. The highlight of the first day was a musical play, 3000 Years of Hindi Bhasha ki Yatra, staged by the local chapter of the Hindi Association. The gala evening included dances and music by over 80 children and adults, directed by Dr Sneh Raj. The Kavi Sammelan saw poets from various chapters of the IHA reciting their poems including Gulab Khandelwal, IHA president, K.K. Singh ‘Mayank’, Vijay Dixit, and Surendra Nath Tiwari. Though Hindi was declared the rashtra bhasha (one of the national languages) of India, it is still not the raj bhasha (the official language). IHA secretary, Dr Satish Misra, drafted a resolution. “Much work is needed to accomplish this,” said Gulab Khandelwal, the author of over 60 books. The highlight of the second day was the workshops to promote the teaching of Hindi in public schools. Kiran Khaitan led workshops on topics that sought to make learning of Hindi fun for the students. Learning of a language and understanding the culture go hand in hand. It is important to make it a fun process. When kids participate in plays where they get an opportunity to speak in Hindi and later receive awards, it motivates them to learn. The whole process of learning becomes enjoyable. Dr Madhu Jhaveri, Dr Pradeep Dixit, Dr Kamal Musaddi, Dr Veena Dhande, Dr Manjul Kant Dwivedi, Renu Gupta, Shyam Sharma, Subhash Sehgal, and Saroj Agrawal were the main speakers on Hindi Education. The Hasya Kavi Sammelan (humor poetry session) featured Dr Vishnu Saxena, Sarvesh Asthana, Dr Praveen Shukla, and Kamal Musaddi. The auditorium was packed with people who were constantly laughing during the four-hour event. ‘It is admirable to see the children and adults using Hindi fonts on their computers,’ said Keshari Nath Tripathi, a former lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh and the keynote speaker of the event. ‘I have no doubt that the use of Hindi will grow in the world, as India becomes more important in the business world,’ he said. Dr Ranbir Singh from the Indian embassy in his address promised full support towards the cause of promoting Hindi. Established in 1980 in Roslyn, Virginia by the late Hindi scholar Dr Kunwar Chandra Prakash Singh, the International Hindi Association, or Antarashtriya Hindi Samiti, elects its officials for a two year period. The key to the three-day event’s success was unprecedented team work and dedication of each team member.
