Sri Lankan scholarship winners felicitated before their departure to India

Indian High Commissioner, Gopal Baglay, participated in the Hindi Diwas, at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India, Colombo, where a group of 18 Sri Lankan students, who have been offered Government of India scholarships to study Hindi, in India, were also felicitated. As a part of the scholarship, the visit of the students, academic fees and local hospitality at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (KHS) or Central Institute of Hindi, Agra, for one year, would be fully sponsored, the Indian HC spokesperson said.

The High Commissioner interacted with the selected students, who departed to India on Sept. 15.

About 75 Hindi enthusiasts, scholars, teachers and students, from all over Sri Lanka, participated at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, the High Commissioner highlighted the role of the Hindi language and literature in strengthening millennia-old cultural, linguistic, literary, and religious ties between India and Sri Lanka. He also elaborated, at length, on the importance of lighting the traditional lamp and Saraswati vandana, both of which are testimonies of civilization linkages between “cultural twins” – India and Sri Lanka.

Hindi students of the Centre, who have successfully completed their ‘KHS courses,’ were also honoured during the Hindi Diwas celebrations.

In commemoration of the Hindi Diwas, SVCC launched several island-wide competitions, such as Hindi essay writing competition, Hindi storytelling competition, Hindi poem recitation competition, and Hindi solo singing competition. These competitions focus on promoting Hindi by providing a platform for Hindi enthusiasts, in Sri Lanka, to express their literary and linguistic talents. The competitions are being organized throughout the month of September 2022.