By Arthi Deepak
India. The very word conjures up images of a riot of colours, mind-boggling variety of food to eat, more people per square kilometre than you may have ever seen, prosperity alongside poverty; the list is endless. An important point to add to the list is that there are 22 official languages of the country. Talk about being tongue-tied!
Growing up in India, it was common in every household to include languages alongside the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic). Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India primarily due to it being spoken widely in the various Indian states. While my mother tongue, Tamil (one of the two oldest languages, the other being Sanskrit) came to me naturally, I learnt Hindi in school from kindergarten through to high school and never will I trade that enriching experience for another foreign language.
Hindi is a phonetic language (as are all Indian languages) with strong links to its root, Sanskrit. It is pronounced the way it is spelt so once you have got to grips with reading the alphabet, it becomes straightforward to master speaking. Add to this the advantage of learning other related languages such as Punjabi, Urdu, Farsi (and even Arabic to a certain degree) because of the sheer number of dynasties that have passed through India’s geographical landscape.
The advantages of learning Hindi are manifold. It is estimated that around 800 million people speak Hindi either as a first or second language. With India being one of the booming world economies, the language and culture of the country are of vital importance to improve the way business unfolds. India has always had a penchant for wanting its people to speak and read English fluently. What started initially as being a status symbol quickly turned into an important factor to strengthen each individual’s career potential and, in turn, collectively push the economy forward. Culturally though, India has always been an amalgamation of languages and takes pride in its rich heritage. Therefore, a person making an effort to speak an Indian language will be welcomed with great enthusiasm.
India is now a true global economy that cannot be ignored. To be culturally aware of the country while engaging in business is a great advantage. India is investor-friendly and with mammoth companies in every sector: agriculture (Caterpillar), food and beverage (Nestle, Coca-Cola), retail (Walmart, Amazon), finance (Citigroup), technology (Microsoft, IBM) and a plethora of medium-sized companies contributing to the forecast of growth of 7.2% in 2017-18 fiscal and 7.7% in 2018-19. Hindi is an essential part of conducting business in India, for example when managing local teams, advertising to the people and liaising with the general public. With the emergence of many NGOs and the increasing popularity of organic farming in recent years, it is of vital importance to show to locals that there is interest in their language and culture as much as working with them for business and social objectives.
The significance of learning an Indian language in general cannot be ignored from a tourism perspective with India being one of the most popular travel destinations. With its plethora of architectural marvels spanning the North and the South of the country, yoga and meditation retreats, centres of natural medicine, miles of coastline and bustling nightlife in the metropolitan cities, India has much to offer for every kind of traveller. 2017 being the UK-India Year of Culture, it promises a further push to the already booming Indian travel industry.
Why not then delve deep into learning a beautiful language and move on to mastering the variety of other Indian languages too. Start your journey and you will see that you have the support of an entire country behind you!
At Language Services Direct, we work with a team of experienced and well-qualified Hindi language teachers, who are native speakers of Hindi with experience helping learners in the public and private sectors to learn the language for work purposes.
There is also a number of high-quality learning resources on the market such as Innovative: Learn 34 Languages, an excellent app with podcasts and detailed explanations.
If you can, it’s also helpful to find a Hindi-speaking ‘buddy’ or perhaps a language-exchange partner. In addition to learning/teaching each other a language, you will learn first-hand about culture and a different perspective. If you can, take any opportunity to travel to India and immerse yourself in the language and culture. And of course, with this comes the added benefit of learning about the country’s cuisine – and eating it too!
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