“This is a celebration of South India's cultural involvement in the language movement. We are not promoting Hindi at the cost of others — it is a bridge for coordination, not a replacement”: Dr Meenakshi Jolly
HYDERABAD: The Union home ministry’s department of official language will felicitate over 50 winners of nationwide competitions during its golden jubilee celebration, Dakshin Samvad, here on Friday. Union minister G. Kishan Reddy will preside over the event, alongside Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, Union minister of state Nityanand Rai and AP Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
The ceremony will be held at the GMC Balayogi indoor stadium in Gachibowli, marking the second in a series of Jubilee events following the inaugural in Delhi.
“This is a celebration of South India's cultural involvement in the language movement. We are not promoting Hindi at the cost of others — it is a bridge for coordination, not a replacement,” said Dr Meenakshi Jolly, joint secretary of the department, at a press meet in Hyderabad on Thursday. She invited language scholars, central and state officials and the public to attend the event, which begins at 10 am.
According to organisers, the awards are for sports and cultural contests conducted across ministries and departments throughout the year. While the first prize winners were felicitated in Delhi on June 26, Hyderabad will honour the remaining awardees. Delegates from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry are expected to attend.
Shruti Patil, additional director general of PIB Hyderabad, introduced the panellists and welcomed representatives from different southern languages. When asked about the absence of ministers from the state government, Dr Jolly clarified that invitations had been extended to all concerned and the event was inclusive in spirit.
Responding to another query on whether the event might trigger concerns about regional languages or provoke debate around Hindi, she said no single language can thrive in isolation and the department’s mandate is based on coexistence and cooperation.
The department of official language was created on June 26 as a wing under the ministry of home affairs to promote the use of Hindi in government work, in accordance with constitutional provisions. Over the years, Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs) have been formed in cities across the country to monitor and support this effort.
