200 students participate in Hindi Fortnight in Kinnaur

To mark ‘Rajbhasha Pakhwada’ (Hindi Fortnight), the office of the state’s District Language Officer, Department of Language, Art and Culture, organised speech, essay and quiz competitions on the importance of the Hindi language at Government College, Reckong Peo, Kinnaur. Over 200 students from various schools participated in the events.

Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Sharma, who was invited as the chief guest, said Indians should take pride in the fact that Hindi was their official language. He acknowledged the growing trend of learning and teaching English, but highlighted the importance of incorporating Hindi into daily conversations and encouraging its study. He also appealed to youth of the tribal district to learn the Bhoti language so as to ensure that it was preserved for future generations.

District Public Relations Officer and District Language Officer Dheeraj Bhaik welcomed the chief guest with a traditional Kinnauri cap and ‘khatak’. He said promoting Hindi could not be achieved unless it was actively used in reading, writing and speaking.

College principal Uttam Chand Chauhan was the special guest at the event.

In the speech competition, Kritika from Government Senior Secondary School, Nichar, clinched the first position while Nishant from Government Senior Secondary School (Katgaon) grabbed the second spot and Samiksha from Government Senior Secondary School (Nichar) secured the third place. In the essay-writing competition, Varshika from Government Senior Secondary School (Nichar) grabbed the first position, followed by Suhani Negi from Government Senior Secondary School (Pooh) and Nandita Kumari from Government Senior Secondary School (Kanam), who secured the second and third spots, respectively.

In the quiz competition, Nitin Bhandari from Government Senior Secondary School (Brua) claimed first place, followed by Shanaya Jhalta from DAV School (Reckong Peo) and Vijay from Government High School (Bari), who stood second and third, respectively.

The chief guest presented mementos and certificates to the winners. Additionally, Prof Balam Negi, Siddheshwari and Gyanchand Sharma, who were part of the judging panel, were also honoured during the event.