Hindi Fortnight was organized at ICAR-CTCRI from 14/09/2024 to 28/09/2024. The program started with the welcome address by Liaison Officer (Official Language) and Principal Scientist Dr. Asha Devi, A. She mentioned about the worldwide acceptance of Hindi, the importance of Hindi language, etc in her welcome address. The function was inaugurated by the Director-in-Charge and Head (Crop Protection), Dr. T. Maheshkumar on 18/09/2023 at 10.30 am. He spoke about the importance of Hindi language and the promotion and use of Hindi language at the global level. Shri.Bhadrakumar.S., Senior Administrative Officer and Member Secretary, OLIC, ICAR-CTCRI delivered the vote of thanks. The valedictory function and prize distribution of Hindi Fortnight 2024 was held on 27/11/2024 at 3.30 pm under the chairmanship of Dr. G. Byju, Director and Chairman (Official Language), ICAR-CTCRI. Dr. Asha Devi, A., Principal Scientist & Liaison Officer (Official Language) delivered the welcome address. She said that Hindi language is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and Hindi has become an important part of the history of the language in India. In his presidential address, the Director spoke in detail about the provisions of official language in Articles 343 to 351 of the Constitution and Section 3(3) of the Official Languages Act, 1963. The function was inaugurated by Dr. Shamli M.M., Professor and Head of Department (Hindi), Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram. In her speech she talked about the diversity of Indian languages, why only Hindi was adopted as the official language, the use of foreign languages in Indian languages etc. She also expressed that every language has its own beauty even if the way of using it is different. She opined that no language is inferior or superior and we should respect every language. After the inauguration, the Chief Guest and Director distributed prizes to the winners of the Hindi Fortnight competitions. The program concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Bhadrakumar S., Senior Administrative Officer and Member Secretary, OLIC, ICAR-CTCRI. The institute celebrated Hindi fortnight with great pomp during 14-28 September 2024 with various competitions like Essay writing, Dictation, Translation (English to Hindi and Hindi to English), Recitation, Elocution, Just a minute, Calligraphy, Memory test, Antakshari and children's competitions (memory test, poem recitation, calligraphy, open forum, reading competition).
