Mr S Tiwari

President of the Hindi Society and

Chairman and Supervisor of the Hindi Centres

Members of the Management Committee of the Hindi Society and Hindi Centres

Parents, students, ladies and gentlemen

Good evening

It is my pleasure to be with you today to celebrate Hindi Centres Day 2008. This is indeed a very colourful celebration and one that is immersed in culture and tradition.

Promote language to preserve cultural roots

2          Tonight’s event is a milestone in more ways than one. We are gathered here not only to celebrate our students’ achievements in their Hindi examinations but also to celebrate your achievements as a community. You have worked hard to preserve your heritage through promoting the use of the Hindi language and culture among your youths.

3          Indeed, language and culture are inextricably linked. Language not only defines us as individuals, but also collectively as a community and a nation. An old Malay saying aptly illustrates this: “Hilang bahasa, hilang bangsa”. It means that when the language ceases to exist, so will its people.

4          Singapore is home to a multi-cultural and multi-religious society. While it is important that we move ahead together cohesively as a nation, we should not abandon our cultural roots. It is this diversity that adds richness and vibrancy to the fabric of our society.  More importantly, it is this diversity that gives us our distinct identity and makes us unique.

5          To succeed in this, we need to start early and provide the right foundations for our children. And this is one of the reasons why bilingualism is a key feature of our education system.

6          Hindi has been a recognised non-Tamil Indian language in schools since the early 1990s. The teaching of Hindi at the pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels will help our children connect and stay in touch with their cultural roots. And with an increasing number of Indian professionals coming to Singapore with their families, the accessibility of the language is beneficial to them and one of the reasons for anchoring these foreign talents to Singapore.

Language facilitates people-to-people relations

7          In our increasingly globalised and connected world, the learning of languages serves much more than just to preserve our cultural identity. The study of languages also has both social and economic dimensions.

8          Globalisation brings people closer and shrinks borders.  Geographical distances are easily overcome with enhanced mobility through air travel or simply through the Internet. Today, we see more interactions between people of diverse cultures, languages and backgrounds – whether they are tourists, colleagues from different parts of the world or business partners.

9          In today’s world, someone adept in more than one language has the competitive edge in negotiating his way through inter-cultural relationships and communications. A common language bridges gaps and builds rapport.  

10        Hindi is the national language of India and one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. By mastering the language, you can connect to the Hindi community worldwide.  With India being one of the most populous nations of the world and emerging as an economic superpower, connectivity through language translates to better ties not just at the personal or individual level but also at the national level. It will also enhance the warm and friendly relations which our two countries have traditionally enjoyed as a result of close historical and cultural ties.

Concluding remarks

11        On this note, I would like to congratulate all the award and prize winners tonight. And for the rest, I hope you will enjoy this evening’s performances.

Thank you.