News item "IIT-Delhi takes first step to bridge language divide"

Taken from http://in.news.yahoo.com/061217/48/6ad9x.html

For Minakshi Sahu (26), a PhD student at the Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, the transition from Hindi to English has not been smooth. She had studied till Std XII in Chhattisgarh in the Hindi medium and had to struggle to understand her course books, which were in English.

"I'd always carry a Hindi-English dictionary and worry about clearing the exams," she said. "But then, there was no option. I had to learn."

In her four years at the IIT, Sahu has come to grasp the many English technical terms of which she had only known the Hindi version.

But the Hindi cell at the institute is working to make things easier for students like her with a slew of measures to encourage teaching and technical writing in Hindi.

Last year, the cell conducted a seminar on 'Scientific & Technical Education in Hindi'. According to Prof S.C. Kaushik, who heads the cell, it was well-received by students and faculty, and a series of recommendations on encouraging the use of Hindi was drawn up and sent to Dr Surendra Prasad, the institute director.

The cell has recommended that synopses of all lectures be prepared in Hindi and that students wishing to write exams or research papers in that language be allowed to do so. It has also said that teachers who can teach in English and Hindi should be encouraged.

The cell is also offering assistance to faculty members who want to write books in Hindi. One on rural technology, by Prof R.C. Maheshwari, has already been released, and, says Kaushik, a couple of professors have expressed desire to write Hindi books on the topics they teach.

The cell also conducts Hindi classes for non-Hindi speaking students - mainly those from south India - who wish to learn the language for practical purposes.

"More than 40 students from south India have already written to us requesting a refresher course in Hindi," said Kaushik.

Measures are also on to bring in complete implementation of Hindi in administrative work. Col Rajendra Singh, the registrar, said the Senate Manual and other important documents are being translated into Hindi, while the administrative staff is being trained in the use of Hindi software.
"The use of Hindi in official work has increased. We are also trying to get engineering books in Hindi for our library," said Singh. "This will not only promote usage of Hindi but will go a long way in promoting all vernacular languages in scientific and technical education."

Some students argue that Hindi cannot meet the requirements of technical education, but they know the argument doesn't hold water.

"After all, all developed nations have compiled research in their own language," says Manoj Gupta, a research student at the Faculty of Energy Studies. "This is not to say we must not promote English. Sadly today, Hindi today is perceived as for people who come from the cow belt."