Promote Hindi in higher education: Subhash Chandra

No language can replace Hindi as the "language of common man" while efforts should be taken to make Hindi the medium of instruction (MOI) in higher education, Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra said.
"English cannot replace Hindi as the language of communication in this country. The language of the common man is Hindi and will continue to remain so," he said, while underlining the need to make Hindi as the medium of instruction in higher education.
The Rajya Sabha MP was participating in a discussion titled "Present Status of Hindi: Challenges and Solutions" organised by Sahitya Akademi on the occasion of 'Hindi Divas' here last evening.

"For people who live in villages, Hindi serves as a major language of communication. For example, in a small town like Ludhiana, there are uneducated but skilled workers, who if provided with education, would do even better. It would be easy for young talent to come forward like that," he said.
Chandra, who also released the Hindi version of his autobiography 'The Z Factor' on the occasion, said Hindi was irreplaceable as the "language of the common man" and that it was gradually becoming visible on an international platform.
Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and eminent Hindi poet Ashok Chakradhar were also present on the occasion.

While Satyarthi was appreciative of people's growing interest in learning multiple languages, he said it was unfair to compare English and Hindi and that the ability to converse in one's mother tongue must be viewed as a matter of pride and not looked down upon.
"The mother tongue of a person is the most respected and no other language can take it away. Hindi and English are separate languages which are not competing with each other," he said.