Summary
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu addresses silver jubilee celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha, Maharashtra, says NEP is based on Gandhi’s “Nai Talim”
Naidu stresses the need for enhanced dialogue between Indian languages, for which the language departments of various universities can play an important role
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has said that the new National Education Policy (NEP) is following the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi’s “Nai Talim” that emphasised the importance of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction.
Virtually addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha, Maharashtra on January 4, Naidu harked back to the Mahatma’s 1937 education proposal in Wardha which had also harped on free compulsory education and skill training for students.
“We are fortunate to have linguistic diversity in our country. Our linguistic diversity is our strength as our languages symbolize our cultural unity,” said Naidu, noting that every Indian language has a glorious history and rich literature. Our constituent assembly has accorded constitutional status to other Indian languages in the Eighth Schedule, he added.
The Vice President also unveiled the statue of B R Ambedkar and said that the father of the Indian Constitution remained committed to education and equality throughout his life. He expressed confidence that the statue of Ambedkar would be a source of inspiration for the teachers and students of the Wardha university.
Naidu also inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan and Chandrashekhar Azad Hostel in the university as part of its silver jubilee celebrations.
He also praised the achievements of the Wardha university, stating that the varsity has made many famous works of Hindi literature available online, helping readers sitting in distant countries access authentic Hindi literature.
The Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University also offers foreign languages like French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese among others in Hindi medium. Naidu lauded this academic effort and called for extending this facility for Indian languages as well so that Hindi students can learn other languages of their own country.
The Vice President urged to strengthen the thread of unity in diversity, and stressed the need for enhanced dialogue between Indian languages. He suggested that the language departments of various universities can play an important role in this regard. “There should be constant contact and intellectual dialogue between the language departments of the universities,” he said.
Those present at the silver jubilee celebrations included Union minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, Wardha MP Ramdas Tadas, the varsity’s vice-chancellor Rajnish Kumar Shukla, people’s representatives from the area, teachers and students among others.
Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Wardha was established by a bill passed by the Parliament in 1997.
Last updated on 05 Jan 2022
