Hindi Prachar Sabha celebrates centenary

As part of the centenary celebrations, spread throughout the year, officials said there are plans to improve the infrastructure as well as release 20 translated works of south Indian literature. A national seminar on the contribution of south Indian writers to Hindi language is scheduled to be held this year. 

Established in 1918 by Mahatma Gandhi with the sole aim of propagating Hindi in southern States, the sabha is a prominent structure in T Nagar here.

The institution was formally inaugurated on June 17, 1918, in the presence of Annie Besant, at the Gokhale Hall in George Town, before it was moved to its present location. 

In recognition of the services rendered by the Sabha, the Parliament conferred the status of “institution of national importance” by enacting a special act. The act authorises the Sabha to award degrees in Hindi like other universities.

The sabha, which faced difficulties to lure students in the beginning, today has around 10 lakh candidates appearing for various examinations conducted by it. 

The centre has also played a significant role in contributing to the large number of Hindi teachers in south India. 

Prominent leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Babu Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Sastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao among others have been past presidents of the sabha.