The Valedictory Ceremony of Hindi Fortnight 2025 was held this evening at the Pool Theatre of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla. The event was presided over by the Director of the Institute, Professor Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi, with Professor Om Prakash Sharma, Tagore Fellow at the Institute, as the Special Guest.
The ceremony began with a welcome and introductory remarks, followed by an address from Professor Sharma, who described Hindi language and literature as the soul of Indian culture. He emphasized that Hindi is not just a medium of communication but a powerful symbol of national unity and cultural identity.
In his presidential address, Professor Chaturvedi underlined the importance of celebrating Hindi Fortnight at the Institute. He called for the increased and effective use of Hindi in administrative, academic, and research activities, and reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to promoting Hindi across all spheres of its functioning. He encouraged staff and scholars alike to contribute actively towards this mission.
The ceremony also recognized and honored winners of various competitions held during the fortnight. These included Essay Writing, Debate, Hindi Typing, Self-Composed Poetry Recitation, Translation, Noting/Drafting, and Quiz competitions. Additionally, ten employees were specially felicitated for their exemplary use of Hindi in official work throughout the year.
Notable winners included Ashwini Rao, Chandrakala, Kesar Singh, Promila, Devendra Singh, Naveen Harnot, Suraj Prakash, Devraj Sharma, Sanjay Kumar, Gurjeet Kaur, Ranjana, Bandna Kumari, Hemraj Sharma, Kulpurushan Sharma, Gopal Singh, Rajni, Deepak Sharma, Surendra Ramola, Pritam Singh, Ashok Bhatoiya, Om Prasad, Neeraj Sharma, Daya Ram, Sharda Devi, and Aman Verma among others.
The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Meharchand Negi, Secretary of the Institute. The programme was efficiently conducted by Akhilesh Pathak, Secretary (Rajbhasha) and Public Relations Officer.
