New Delhi, Dec 23 (FN Bureau) India and Fiji held talks to discuss the modalities and preparatory work for holding the 12th World Hindi Conference in Fiji. Secretary East in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Riva Ganguly Das held talks virtually with Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Education, Dr. Anjeela Jokhan, as part of the first meeting of the India-Fiji high-level joint committee. The Indian High Commission in Suva in a tweet said: “The first meeting of the India-Fiji high-level joint committee comprising Secretary (East) Smt. @rivagdas & PS @FijianEducation Dr. Anjeela Jokhan was held virtually to discuss the modalities & other preparatory work for holding the next World Hindi Conference in Fiji.” Yogesh Karan, the Permanent Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister of Fiji, had in early 2020 confirmed that the 12th World Hindi Conference would be held in Suva and added that Fiji is proud to be hosting the event.
Karan said that for many decades the Fiji-Hindi language has been part of the country’s national heritage and the country’s constitution has declared Fiji Hindi as one of the three official languages. Within the constitution, conversational and contemporary Hindi is mandated as a compulsory subject in all primary school in the country. Without concrete steps to protect Hindi in Fiji, the intricacies will be lost to more mainstream dialects and this is what we fear, he is quoted as saying by a local daily. The Ninth World Hindi Conference was held in September 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the 10th one was held in September 2015 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The 11th World Hindi Conference was hosted by Mauritius in August 2018. The First World Hindi Conference was inaugurated in January 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The conference, held in Nagpur, was attended by Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, then Prime Minister of Mauritius, as the Chief guest. 122 delegates from 30 countries participated in the conference.