Hindi is not only our national language, it is also the language of the masses. According to 2001 census, 41 percent of the Indian population speaks Hindi (including the standard form and its dialects). There are approximately 30 dialects of the language spoken in major Hindi speaking states like Delhi, Hrayana, Uttranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chhatisgarh.  Some of the trends of the contemporary India have facilitated the re-popularisation of Hindi as a ‘sought after’ language. These include emergence of Hinglish (a combination of Hindi and English) widely spoken by educated class of the country, revival of the Hindi cinema as a powerful mass medium, increasing number of Hindi TV channels and so on. An important factor that has directly or indirectly led to the augmentation of the importance of Hindi language is – emergence of IT friendly Hindi. Hindi websites like www.indianest.com, www.pital. com, www.dhamaka.com, www. jyotish.com, www.hanuman.com, bhasaindia.com etc are among those Hindi websites/portals that can be easily accessed by Hindi-speaking net lovers. www. reftaar.com is the first Hindi search engine. Microsoft has already launched its operating system in Hindi.

There are electronic versions of the popular newspapers and   portals of the reputed media groups like BBC available on the net. The field of information technology has widened enough to include some new trends like facility of learning Hindi online. This facility has been optimally utilised by some foreign universities of Britain, U.S., Australila, China, Mauritius etc. to teach Hindi to their students.  Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), spread in more than hundred countries; have been promoting Hindi through its daily use in different forms.  This is worth mentioning that there is a growing craze among our foreign counterparts to understand the rich Indian culture. That is why; many foreign countries have established centres of learning to promote Indian studies. Apart from offering courses on Indian religion, history and culture; these centres also offer courses in several Indian languages like Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit.  In the post-globalisation and privatisation scenario, growing business relations of India with other countires have been necessitating the need of cross-learning of the languages of the concerned business partner-countires.  This development has added to the popularity of Hindi as a popular and easy to learn Indian language in other countries. Some schools in US have decided to introduce Hindi as a foreign language along with its French, Spanish and German counterparts. In totto, Hindi has earned a global recognition for itself in linguistic arena.

Hindi and Employment Opportunities 

With the immense popularity and international stand of our national language, there is also a growing vista of employment in the field of Hindi language. To be more specific, the applied or functional side of Hindi is a field full of potentials for the career aspirants. Functional Hindi deals with day-to-day functions of the concerned organisations. In different bodies/units of Central government/state governments (in Hindi speaking states), it is mandatory to work in Hindi language. There are Hindi Day and Hindi week/fortnight observed by Central government in the month of September every year to promote the use of Hindi (Hindi day is observed on September 14). There are separate posts like Hindi Officer, Hindi Translators, Hindi Assistant, Manager (Official language) in different departments and units of Central/state government. There is also a vast scope of functional Hindi in media houses of Government and private sectors. The opportunities have increased manifold with the advent of private TV and Radio channels and launch of Hindi versions of established magazines/newspapers. In the filed of Hindi media, there is a need of reporters, Correspondents, Sub Editors, Editors, Proof Readers, Radio Jockey, Anchors etc. But a degree/diploma in Journalism/Mass Communication along with academic qualification in Hindi (PG/Ph.D) is a prerequisite to the field. Some positions of the electronic media like Radio Jockey, Anchor etc. necessitate a bi-lingual efficiency of Hindi and English languages because there is a direct dialogue between them and the media users.

Potential

Bi-lingual efficiency gives an added advantage in the field of print media as well. There are also opportunities in public sector undertaking like banks. Apart from these fields, there is an under tapped field of freelance translation. This includes translation of the works of eminent International writers into Hindi and also those of Hindi writers into English and other foreign languages. There is also the work of translating scripts of films/ advertisements into Hindi/English. But bi-lingual efficiency is the essence of the field. One can earn one’s livelihood as a freelance translator and can also set up one’s translation firms. Such firms take up assignments on contract basis and provide employment to many professional translators. There are also opportunities of translation projects from foreign agencies. The task can be easily done through internet. The sky is not the limit for functional Hindi with the increasing interest of foreign universities in this language. One can get employment as a School Teacher/University Lecturer in foreign countries. This service can be offered to our native educational institutions as well. The popularity of Hindi soap operas and Hindi commercials on TV and radio has opened up another rich field of opportunities for the aspirants of functional Hindi. One can serve the mediums of radio/TV/Cinema as a script writer/dialogue writer/lyricist. This field necessitates a natural and artistic mastery of creative writing. But a degree/diploma in creative writing will enhance one’s flair of writing. 

Persons having a post graduate degree/Ph.D. in Hindi can explore the livelihood opportunities in the field of functional Hindi. A diploma in translation and a working knowledge of English language will be an added advantage especially to those interested in translation, script writing and Radio Jockeying/Anchoring.

Thus, there are following fields of Hindi language wherein employment opportunities can be explored in different capacities:

-    Administrative posts in Government/ public sectors (Hindi Officer/Manager-    Hindi language)

-    Translation (in media and other sectors)

-    Foreign jobs/ as interpreter in embassies

-    Creative writing

-    Media

-    Academics

It is true that English language has been enjoying a special status in our country because of its colonial background. There is some percentage of Indians having a craze for English language. But it is also true that despite years’ long promotion of English language; it is still the language of hardly five percent population of India. We cannot forget that Hindi was the lingua franca of our freedom struggle. Various freedom fighters adopted Hindi journals as a platform of raising voices against the colonial rule. The contemporary India has been witnessing a transition phase of Hindi as the national language as well as the language of the masses. Credit goes to information technology, media, popular media (Radio/TV/Hindi cinema), popular Hindi writers and government policies for the promotion of Hindi language.  Field of functional Hindi provides a dual advantage; it provides bread and butter and also provides an opportunity of promoting the national language.

Educational institutions for academic studies :

l     Hindi departments of Central and state Universities

Institutions for professional studies (indicative list):

l     Central institute of Indian Language, Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, Manasagangotri, Mysore

l     Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) – M.A. in Hindi, Course on Creative writing, Media Courses in Hindi Medium.

l     Indian Institute of Mass Communication, JNU Campus, New Delhi (specific courses/short term courses, basically media related)

l     Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi.

l     Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra (UP) – for advanced academic courses. 

     The list is indicative.

AHindi is everywhere. Be it a song, catchline of a brand, SMS on Mobile phone, or Oxford and Webster’s dictionary, Hindi is being adopted everywhere, partly to woo the vast consumer/customer base, partly due to its worldwide acceptability which is growing day-by-day.  In the era of globalisation, the foreign conglomerates are talking ‘Hindi’. So, the functional Hindi is creating its own space in the modern world.

(The author is a freelance journalist based in Gorakhpur.)