Indian Embassy in Ankara marks World Hindi Day

By Gozde Bayar

The Indian Embassy in Ankara on Tuesday marked World Hindi Day, also known as Vishwa Hindi Diwas, to promote the language worldwide.

World Hindi Day is observed annually on Jan. 9 to celebrate the contributions of the overseas Indian community and Indian expats toward the development of India.

The event, which is hosted at the embassy, was attended by the Indian diaspora and expats, teachers and learners of the Hindi language, Hindi enthusiasts and embassy staff.

A Hindi competition was organized by Ankara University students which included Hindi poetry recitation, Hindi songs and storytelling.

A play on the Akbar-Birbal story was performed by Ankara University students, which was greatly appreciated by the audience.

Embassy members participated in the program. Participants of Vishwa Hindi Diwas and winners of the competition were also felicitated.

Distinguished academics including Omair Anas from Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Esra Kokdemir from Ankara University and Yalcin Kayali from Ankara University addressed the audience and shared their experiences.

Anas said Hindi and Turkish languages have so much in common, not just the 9,000 words but a lot of emotion.

“I am extremely honored to be here especially to speak with young Turkish friends who have amazingly represented Indian culture and Indian language,” he said.

World Hindi Day marks the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on Jan. 9, 1915.

Vishwa Hindi Diwas has its roots in the first World Hindi Conference that took place Jan. 10, 1975, in Nagpur, India. Vishwa Hindi Diwas has since been celebrated globally.