OSCAR PUJOL SPENT 16 years in Varanasi learning Sanskrit and earning a doctorate in the ancient Indian language. When his first child was born in the holy city during the spring, Pujol didn't hesitate to name him Vasant."My son speaks Hindi like a native," says Pujol, an eminent Sanskrit scholar who heads the Cervantes Institute, the cultural arm of the Spanish embassy, in Delhi. With such personal and professional experience in global languages, Pujol believes it is now the turn of Hindi to become a global language like Spanish did only a few decades ago.
At the 16th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), a major session on the second day was completely conducted in the Hindi language though two of the three speakers on the stage were from Spain and Poland. Pujol, one of those two panellists from a foreign nationality attending the session titled Global Hindi, felt at home. "I was nostalgic after I had returned to Spain at the end of my doctorate in Sanskrit in Varanasi in 2002," he says. "I wanted to come back to India."
This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of Financial Express Mumbai.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of Financial Express Mumbai.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Murdoch ally helps Ambani build media empire in India
SOHEE KIM PR SANJAI
Pandya, Dube & Rinku: Can they finish for India at T20 World Cup?
GOING INTO THE 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia Dinesh Karthik was assigned the finisher role and the batting lineup was built accordingly.
Nestle adds sugar to infant milk and cereal, finds report
A NEW REPORT has revealed that Nestle, the world's largest consumer goods and manufacturer of baby formula, is adding sugar to infant milk and cereal products sold in India, and other Asian, and African countries.
India-made Daimler's electric mini truck to hit the road soon
INDIA WILL BE host to German trucking giant Daimler's only electric vehicle plant outside of Europe and Japan when it launches a locally-made electric light cargo truck in FY25.
Samsung eyes ₹10,000 cr from India TV biz this year
SOUTH KOREAN GIANT Samsung is targeting a turnover of ₹10,000 crores for its television business in India this year, driven by growth in sales of its mid to-premium segment models, said Mohandeep Singh, senior VP, consumer electronics business in India.
Microsoft AI Copilot speed boost for coding
WHEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Nikolai Avteniev got his hands on a preview version of Microsoft's Copilot coding assistant in 2021, he quickly saw the potential.
US, China debt pose risks for global public finances: IMF
THE WORLD's TWO great economic rivals, China and the US, will drive much of the increase in global public debt over the next five years, with US spending creating trouble for many other countries by keeping interest rates high, officials at the International Monetary Fund said in a report.
Language models in consumer tech
This move is designed to ensure better user experience & privacy
'Data centres' energy use doubles every four years'
Data centres are significant energy consumers, using about 2% of the world's power and emitting carbon dioxide equivalent to the airline industry.
Vi FPO: Foreign players invest big; about ₹5,400 crore raised
GQG, Fidelity buy almost 40% of the anchor investor portion
