A regional Hindi Day celebration @ Kota

On September 14, 2023, a regional Hindi Day celebration was held in Kota, Rajasthan, to commemorate Hindi Diwas. The event, organized by the Rajkiya Sarvajanik Mandal Pustakalay (Public Library) and the International Women's Poetry Forum, was conducted at the Dr. S.R. Ranganathan Auditorium. The program aimed to celebrate Hindi, promote its usage, and honor contributors to the language.

The event was presided over by Sneh Lata Sharma, the Secretary of the International Women's Poetry Forum. The chief guest was Tarun Mehra, Deputy Forest Conservator of Kota, and other special guests included Meghna Mehra, a poet, and Dr. Rita Gupta, the Chairperson of the International Women's Poetry Forum Unit in Kota. The occasion began with the ceremonial application of vermilion on the foreheads of all attendees by the library's staff.

The central theme of the event revolved around "Hindi in the Global Context." Dr. Deepak Kumar Srivastava highlighted the need for stricter regulations to make Hindi mandatory in official government work.

Dr. Anita Varma emphasized that Hindi is not only the carrier of our culture but is also evolving rapidly to adapt to global scenarios. Ram Sharma "Kaparen" discussed the journey of Hindi over the centuries and how it has extended its influence globally.

The event also featured poetry readings by renowned poets and authors, including Jyoti Sharma, Prarthana Bharati, Dr. Madhu Sanadhy, Dr. Vaidehi Gautam, Dr. Shashi Jain, Alpana Garg, Rita Gupta, Sadhana Sharma, Snehalata Sharma, Yashoda Sharma, and Mahesh Pancholi.

Awards were presented to 21 literary figures for their contributions to Hindi literature. Ram Sharma "Kaparen" received the "Hindi Rang Sahitya Srujan Samman-2023," and Dr. Isika Chikka from Nigeria was honored with the "Hindi Navasakshar Samman-Patra-2023."

Additionally, two young literary figures were awarded the "Hindi Abhyuthan Samman-2023," which went to Dr. Nand Kishore Mahavar and Kishan Pranay Shammi.

The "Rajbhasha Hindi Samman-2023" was conferred upon Hukum Chand Rathore, Vijay Jain, and Jitendra Gautam for excelling in the National Hindi Proficiency Exam.

In various competitions held as part of the event, Yogeendra Singh Tanwar secured first place, and Aryan Srivastava stood second in the Computer Application competition. The essay writing competition winners were Barkha (first), Ranveer Singh Hada (second), and Vikram Yadav (third).

In the Hindi literature and debate competition, Payal Bairwa won first place, Satish Meena secured second, and Jitendra Meena was awarded third place. Praveen Vedi (first), Yogeendra Singh Sonagara (second), Lakshmi Jangam (third), Kushal Soni, Meena Sonagara, and Jitendra Kataria received awards for their contributions to the "Sulekh Lekhan" competition, while Payal Bairwa (first), Suresh Meena (second), and Jitendra Meena (third) were recognized in the debate competition.

In summary, the event celebrated Hindi language and literature, recognized the achievements of Hindi enthusiasts and scholars, and encouraged the use of Hindi in a global context.