Become ambassadors of Hindi, spread its greatness globally, says Union Minister Sonowal

Chennai: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday appealed to the youth who graduated in Hindi to become ambassadors of that language and spread its greatness across the globe.

Speaking at the 83rd convocation function of the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha here, Sonowal said there was a great power in Hindi, which has captured the hearts of people around the world.

There was humanness in this language. "All Indian languages are born at the feet of Mother India. They are all one. We should take the message to the world that they are symbols of patriotism and humanity," he said.

"Become ambassadors of Hindi and show it to the world. Spread the beauty and greatness of Hindi. Make it a universal language. Hindi has that capability," the Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal urged the graduants.

"Hindi is the language of unity and its use and adoption binds all Indians in a common thread. It is also a demonstration of the ethos of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat where we embrace our diversity to strengthen our unity and integrity," he said.

Conveying his best wishes to the students for their onward journey in nation-building activities, Sonowal said after presenting degrees, "It is my great privilege to be present in this institution founded by the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in 1918." At the function, about 8,000 students who passed the Praveen and Visharadh examinations received their degrees. Students from Chennai who secured the highest marks in the examinations conducted by the Sabha and post graduates who secured ranks were honoured at the event.

Later, speaking at the silver jubilee celebration of the Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL), Sonowal said this port would add to the success story when India becomes the top ten maritime nations in the world in 2047.

"The Kamarajar Port has given a lot of confidence. It has generated energy, zeal, and optimism. This will definitely help us to dream more and more in the near future," he said.

The Kamarajar Port Ltd, located on the Coromandel coast about 24 km north of Chennai, is the 12th major port in India and one of the three major ports in Tamil Nadu.

The Central Minister laid the foundation stones for three projects: one MLD capacity RO desalination plant (for Rs 37 crore), an Integrated Command and Control Centre (for Rs 25 crore), and capital dredging phase VI for creating 18m draft (for Rs 520 crore) totally worth Rs 582 crore.

He unveiled the 2025 calendar of Chennai Port Authority on the occasion.

Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports E V Velu, and senior officials were among those who participated.