It has come to our notice that Busan University of Foreign Studies in South Korea is considering to significantly reduce the Hindi Language courses being offered in its Indian department since last 37 years. It is reported that instead of 70% of the language courses that the department used to offer earlier, it is planning to reduce the language courses to 10-15% of the total courses being offered, and that too would be offered in the last year of the undergraduate program when most of the students had already fulfilled their credits and finished their coursework and start looking for jobs. Instead of Hindi language, English is proposed to be offered to students despite of the fact that 84.3% of the students are in favor of continuing Hindi without any change in the syllabus according to an internal survey. Although the proposed course structure technically suggests that the university has retained the Hindi language courses but effectively, it almost equals to eliminating the study of a language which is not only widely spoken across the length and width of India but also embodies the rich heritage of culture and history of a significant portion of India upon which the present day nation is built and is thriving.

The dynamic plurality of the Indian societies and the alluring diversity that India possesses is difficult to be sensed and felt with the help of English language. An English speaker may just know that India is plural and diverse country but will neither be able to feel the allure of the diversity nor the dynamism of the plurality, and connecting with the masses would certainly be a distant dream. It is only an Indian language which can help them to sense the adjective preceding a noun.  

The Indian government has recently included Korean language in the New Education Policy-2020 to be taught in the schools of India and to our dismay the news of BUFS almost dropping Hindi Language courses from its Indian department has come to us as a jolt. To continue offering Hindi language in BUFS will not be merely an act of reciprocating the gesture of India but it has also got significant relevance in India-Korea ties. At a time when the transition of power poles in Asia and the world is going on, our two of the very important countries in region are witnessing strengthening ties which is a very positive sign. We are witnessing upcoming of multiple MoUs like the recently signed MoU between Delhi and Seoul city and the other between Gimhae and Ayodhya along with rapidly increasing Korean investments in India and it is expected that similar trends will certainly follow for many years to come, at such a crucial point of time it becomes increasingly relevant that South Korea has India specific experts who do not only have the  knowledge about the markets of India but are also well versed in the Indian languages and are equipped with a good understanding and appreciation of the cultural aspects of a diverse and complex India. Knowledge of Hindi language is the only single tool which could facilitate one to achieve all of these crucial virtues and skills together. Universities like HUFS and BUFS are not only teaching Hindi but are also contributing significantly towards consolidating the position of Korea in the Indian hearts and the markets. These universities also have several exchanges programs with Indian Universities which could be hampered if Hindi is discontinued in these universities to the detriment of people to people contacts between the two countries.

Those of us who have lived and worked in Korea are very well aware that the knowledge and awareness regarding India in South Korea is in a skimpy state. There has been a sharp increase in the cases of clash between Korean expats and Indian employees in the Korean companies operating in India ranging from racism and harassment to physical assault. The gradually growing discontent among the Indian employees towards the attitude of many South Korean expats is a fine example of the cultural differences and clearly shows the lack of understanding and appreciation of the Indian culture and languages in the Korean expats. This is to emphasize that strong and sustainable economic ties could not be built on the base of misunderstandings and lack of cultural understanding and appreciations.

We still have time to turn all the negative aspect into a positive one by making our populations more aware about each other’s languages and culture. Today more than 7 universities of India, including some of the best universities of India like Jawaharlal Nehru University, are offering Korean language courses at various levels. Private coaching centers and institutes have also initiated Korean language courses all across India, Indian population is getting increasingly aware about K-pop and K-dramas etc., India has so far offered no resistance in the expansion of Sejong Hakdang (King Sejong Institute) and thus the soft power of South Korea in India is swiftly fanning out.

While we are thankful to the support of the South Korean Embassy towards the expansion of Korean language in India, we expect similar support for the expansion of Hindi Language in South Korea.

Please join me in strongly urging the South Korean embassy to take up this matter to the Korean Ministry of Education and also intervene with BUFS administration at the earliest in order to continue offering Hindi language courses as it has been offered so far. We would also take this opportunity to urge that Hindi and other widely spoken Indian languages like Bengali, Tamil etc. along with the Indian cultural studies be introduced in other universities of South Korea so that the South Korean Youths who are the future of South Korea and policy makers of tomorrow could be presented with diverse opportunities to be better equipped with more inclusive knowledge of India, its culture and languages.

Please sign the petition so that in best interest of the India-Korea bilateral ties, BUFS continues to offer Hindi language courses as they used to offer it since last 37 years.