ITS TIME OBAMA, PUTIN, CAMERON & CO. PICKED UP A SMATTERING OF HINDI: Front Page Story in THE TELEGRAPH CHARU SUDAN KASTURI The ministry of external affairs has issued a circular to all its diplomats asking them to write half of all internal notes, letters and messages in Hindi, sparking disbelief among many officials and dry humour among some. The internal circular does not specify how adherence will be tracked. But several officers said foreign minister Sushma Swaraj had indicated that she was keen on ensuring the policy is practised. Some diplomats have informally communicated concerns to their superiors, the officials said. “We’re all scurrying around looking for colleagues good with Hindi, for help, for tips, for English-to-Hindi dictionaries, for something,” a career diplomat who has served for over 15 years in the Indian Foreign Service said. “There’s a sense of disbelief, but equally some desperation.” The foreign ministry’s internal circular to diplomats, issued amid Hindi Day celebrations on December 15, comes close on the heels of criticism the Narendra Modi government has faced over perceptions that it is thrusting Hindi in administrative work
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 07:58:39 +0000
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