JAMMU: Hindi Pakhwada 2026 commenced at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, on Thursday with an emphasis on increasing the use of Hindi in official, scientific and administrative communication and encouraging students and employees to develop greater interest in the Rajbhasha.
The programme is being organised from September 10 to September 23 as part of the institute’s annual initiative to create awareness about Hindi and encourage its practical use among officers, employees, research scholars and students.
The inaugural function was held in the conference room and was followed by a Hindi essay-writing competition in which 25 students of the Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) High School participated.
Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu and Director, CSIR-NBRI Lucknow, addressed the inaugural programme virtually.
He said Hindi Diwas is observed every year on September 14, while the Hindi Pakhwada provides an opportunity to promote the language through a range of activities and competitions.
Dr Ahmed, who is also Chairman of the Town Official Language Committee (TOLIC), underlined the unifying role of Hindi in India’s diverse social and cultural landscape.
He said people belonging to different regions, communities, faiths and linguistic backgrounds live together as one nation, and Hindi can serve as an important medium of communication and integration.
Calling upon the younger generation to take greater ownership of the language, he urged students to actively participate in the activities being organised during the Pakhwada and contribute to the promotion of Hindi in their educational and professional lives.
He also encouraged employees and research scholars to make greater use of Hindi in official and routine communication.
Dr Ahmed highlighted the efforts being made at CSIR-IIIM Jammu to promote Hindi in scientific, administrative and day-to-day institutional work.
He said the objective should not be limited to observing Hindi Pakhwada as an annual programme, but should be to gradually increase the practical use of Hindi across different areas of institutional functioning.
Er. Abdul Rahim, Scientist-G and Head, RMBD&IST Division, CSIR-IIIM, Srinagar Branch, also addressed the programme.
He spoke about the importance of Hindi in government institutions and the need for greater participation of scientific, technical and administrative personnel in Rajbhasha-related activities.
He referred to the constitutional and administrative importance of Hindi and said India’s linguistic diversity is one of its major cultural strengths.
He stressed that the promotion of Hindi should go hand in hand with respect for the country’s rich multilingual heritage.
Kaushal Kumar, Controller of Administration, spoke about the significance of Hindi Diwas and the wider objective of strengthening the use of Rajbhasha in official work.
He emphasised the need to encourage employees to undertake more administrative work in Hindi in accordance with the applicable government guidelines.
He also highlighted the role of the institute and associated offices in promoting Hindi in official communication and said the status of Hindi usage is reviewed periodically as part of the Rajbhasha-related activities.
Giving details of the programme, Sanjay Sharma, Senior Technical Officer (III), said several competitions have been planned throughout the fortnight to encourage active participation. These include essay writing, translation, speech, creative writing and poetry recitation.
The translation competition will involve Hindi-to-English and English-to-Hindi translation, while a speech competition will be organised in connection with Hindi Diwas on September 14.
Other activities will provide participants an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and command of Hindi.
A separate activity has also been planned for students of the RRL High School, with the objective of increasing their involvement in Hindi-related programmes at the institute.
Sharma said the participation and performance of contestants would be evaluated by a designated jury and winners would be selected accordingly.
The inaugural programme was attended by officers and employees of CSIR-IIIM, including Administrative Officer Rajesh Gupta, besides scientific, technical and administrative staff and students.
The Hindi Pakhwada will continue till September 23, with a series of competitions and activities aimed at encouraging wider and more sustained use of Hindi across the institute.
CSIR-IIIM has also recently received an inspection certificate from the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
