In a significant move to bridge the language gap in India's higher education landscape, the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore (IIT-I), is actively working to establish Hindi as a functional language for scientific and technological learning. This initiative aims to enhance comprehension and democratize access to advanced knowledge for a wider student population.
Abhyuday-3: The National Push for Technical Hindi
The drive is being spearheaded through Abhyuday-3, a two-day National Technical Hindi Seminar that commenced on January 5 at IIT Indore. The event is a collaborative effort, jointly organized by IIT Indore in partnership with IIT Jodhpur and the CSIR–National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research. The core focus of the seminar is to promote and strengthen the use of technical Hindi within higher education, research, and the fields of science and technology.
Professor Suhas Joshi, the director of IIT Indore, emphasized the national importance of this effort. He stated that the initiative is a strong step towards connecting knowledge and science with India's vernacular languages. "Strengthening technical Hindi would ensure wider dissemination of knowledge and reinforce India's linguistic diversity," Joshi remarked.
Concrete Steps in Classrooms and Research
IIT Indore has already begun implementing practical measures to integrate Hindi into its academic fabric. The institute has introduced select first-year lectures delivered entirely in Hindi. Furthermore, research abstracts are now being compiled following prescribed official language standards, and classroom discussions increasingly encourage the use of Hindi to explain complex scientific concepts.
Faculty members highlight that the emphasis is squarely on removing linguistic barriers in technical education. This approach is designed to improve conceptual clarity, especially for students who come from Hindi-medium educational backgrounds, ensuring they are not disadvantaged by the predominant use of English.
Key Outcomes and the Path Forward
A major achievement of the Abhyuday-3 seminar was the release of 'Smarika', a compilation of 26 peer-reviewed research papers written entirely in Hindi. These papers were presented across two dedicated technical sessions: one focusing on science and engineering, and the other on digital technology and innovation.
This landmark effort by IIT Indore signals a growing recognition of the need to make India's premier technical education more inclusive. By positioning Hindi as a viable medium for cutting-edge science and technology, the institute is paving the way for a more linguistically diverse and accessible academic ecosystem in the country.
