Chandigarh November 08, 2024: Today, on 8th November, 2024, a lecture was organized by the Hindi Department, Punjab University, Chandigarh on the topic “The condition and direction of Hindi in South India”. In this program, Prof. Pramod Kovprat (Chairman, Hindi Department, Calicut University) presented a subject-based lecture as the keynote speaker. At the beginning of the program, the Head of the Department, Prof. Ashok Kumar and Prof. Gurmeet Singh formally welcomed the guest by presenting him a gift. 
Prof. Pramod Kovprat said in his statement that the languages of the Dravidian family are dominant in the South, there is still no promotion and spread of Hindi in the rural environment, although there are possibilities. He further said that Hindi is not only a language but the culture and heartbeat of the country. In ancient times, many saints of the North have visited the temples of the South and people of the South have visited the temples of North India. In the national movement, Hindi was used in the South as a symbol of freedom and Swadeshi. And Hindi has a rich tradition in the South and its proof is that till date more than twelve books have been published on the history of Hindi literature of the South, which are also very famous. 
Now in the South, boards of buses, stations etc. are also being written in Hindi, this indicates that the future of Hindi in the South is bright. Translation, tourism, media, government institutions, employment etc. have also played their role in the promotion of Hindi in the South. But the lack of teachers and their neglect in the Hindi departments of some universities and colleges is a matter of concern. 
After this, he answered the questions of the students according to the subject. In the end, the Head of the Department, Prof. Ashok Kumar, while thanking the keynote speaker of the program, Prof. Pramod Kovprat, said that the travel of people of North India to South India and people of South India to North India is a good thing for Hindi because it leads to exchange of languages as well as cultures. 
I believe that the lecture will prove useful for the students in developing this vision. Faculty member Prof. Gurmeet Singh, Head of Department of Philosophy Prof. Pankaj Srivastava, students and researchers were present in the program. The program was successfully conducted by Hindi Sahitya Parishad President and researcher Rahul Kumar.