About IHA

Who We Are

We are the International Hindi Association (IHA), or Antarashtriya Hindi Samiti, a premier institution of Indian culture and studies, established in 1980 in the United States of America to preserve and promote India's culture through language and literature among Indians abroad. Hindi education is on the forefront of our agenda — to help younger generations learn the culture of India inherent in its literature and beliefs.

We publish a widely acclaimed quarterly magazine Vishwa with a worldwide circulation to over 53 countries, and organise annual kavi-sammelans (poetry symposiums), seminars, conferences, and youth camps with cultural and literary activities. The annual marathon kavi-sammelans across the US and Canada with famous Hindi poets have been the hallmark of our increasing popularity. Past years have seen the likes of Kaka Hathrasi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Neeraj, Hullad Muradabadi, Surendra Sharma, Ashok Chakradhar, Som Thakur and Kunwar Bechain, among others.

We are a non-religious, non-political, and non-profit lingo-cultural organisation with chapters throughout the United States and abroad. For broader community outreach, we continually collaborate with socially aware organisations, educational institutions, and government bodies.

Why Choose Us

• Access to a community of individuals who value Hindi language and literature.
• Access to Vishwa, our online Hindi literary journal.
• Participation in poetry symposiums, literary conferences, and local events.
• Access to Hindi school camps and online learning tools — by learning Hindi you embrace the culture of India.
• Be part of an organisation that encourages educational establishments to offer Hindi as a language option in school.

What We Do

Preserve and promote

India's linguistic interests related to Hindi globally, and instill the human values inherent in its literature.

Foster friendship

Between and across Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi-speaking people through the learning and teaching of Hindi.

Provide civic and cultural education

Through quality publications, seminars, and conventions, and generate interest in the learning of Hindi among the younger generation.

Bring together the diaspora

By organising events such as Kavi Sammelans, Hindi stage shows, Hindi Divas, and more.

Establish and promote a centre of Hindi scholars

Encouraging them to write and translate relevant works in Hindi.

Background

Hindi, the official language of India, is the world's second most spoken language — spoken by almost half a billion people throughout the world. Being the lingua franca of the people, it is the primary means of expressing modern Indian culture within and outside India. India's cultural spectrum, from rich countryside folk songs, to devotional bhajans such as Om Jai Jagdish Hare, to romantic film songs, is expressed through Hindi by hundreds of millions of people every day.

The International Hindi Association, or Antarrashtriya Hindi Samiti, a lingo-cultural organisation, was established by the well-known Hindi scholar Dr. Professor Kunwar Chandra Prakash Singh on 18 October 1980 in Roselyn, Virginia, USA, with the vision to preserve and promote this broad cultural spectrum through the knowledge of Hindi and its literature. The Samiti, having gone through many trials of a volunteer organisation since then, has matured into a vibrant and well-established lingo-cultural body.

The 1980s — Years of infancy

Volunteers hand-printed, bound, and personally distributed Samiti's new quarterly magazine Vishwa, and persuaded friends to join and support the Samiti, financially and otherwise. Kavi Sammelans were organised in various US cities to attract common Hindi-speaking communities. One of the first Kavi Sammelans was presided over by Honorable Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Hindi education efforts began in many cities, a legal framework was established, Samiti's constitution was framed and accepted, and the US government granted it non-profit status.

The 1990s — Coming of age

Kavi Sammelans across cities, Hindi-education efforts, and regular annual (later biennial) conventions propelled the Samiti to be the darling of Hindi-loving people in the United States. Life membership grew by several hundred. The Samiti hosted famous Hindi poets from India at times twice a year. The conventions in Washington, D.C. (1991), Rochester (1992), D.C. (1993), Houston (1994), Syracuse (1995), Cleveland (1996), and New Jersey (1997) drew hundreds of new associates. Political and literary luminaries from India and the USA, including Shatrughna Sinha (1997, New Jersey) and the late Narendra Mohan (Rajya Sabha MP and publisher of Dainik Jagran, 1992, Rochester), graced these gatherings. Hindi education spread from Massachusetts to Arizona; Vishwa was subscribed to by universities and libraries. Despite a late-1990s legal dispute, the Samiti emerged stronger.

The new millennium

New volunteers and resources arrived as globalisation renewed interest in Hindi. The Samiti pushed for Hindi to be accepted as an elective foreign language in US high schools. Hindi education was particularly strong in Texas, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. A former Director developed a four-year Hindi CD curriculum based on his teaching career in Texas; another Director (Connecticut) wrote a beginner's Hindi text-cum-workbook. Local Hindi Divas events, plays, Hindustani and Sufi music, and children's stage shows were sponsored.

Biennial conventions grew in scope and theme: Boston 2000 — Hindi in the New Century: Horizons and Challenges; Dallas 2003 — Teaching of Hindi in North American Universities; Washington DC 2008 — Hindi in the Globalisation Age; Cleveland 2011 — Hindi Education in the Younger Generation; Houston 2013 — Hindi and the Youth; Washington DC 2015 — Hindi Language and Indian Culture; Dallas 2017 — Hindi — Definition of Indian Unity. Honoured guests included Vinod Khanna with US Congressman McGovern (Boston 2000), Kalraj Mishra (Dallas 2003), Keshari Nath Tripathi (Cleveland 2011), and Uday Pratap Singh (special guest poet, 2005 Kavi Sammelan).

Marathon Kavi Sammelans

The Samiti's annual marathon Kavi Sammelans grew from half a dozen to two dozen cities per tour, drawing capacity audiences and continually rising in presentation quality. Poets featured over the years include Honorable Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Padmshri Kaka Hathrasi, Dr. Brajendra Awasthi, Padmbhushan Dr. Gopal Das ‘Neeraj’, Dr. Som Thakur, Dr. Kunwar Bechain, Padmshri Surendra Sharma, Padmshri Dr. Ashok Chakradhar, Padmshri Surendra Dubey, Padmshri Dr. Sunil Jogi, Dr. Sarita Sharma, Om Prakash Aditya, Dr. Govind Vyas, Hari Om Pawar, Surendra Sukumar, Madhup Pandey, Pradeep Choubey, Arun Gemini, Aash Karan Atal, Gajender Solanki, Ramesh Sharma, Vishnu Saxena, Sarvesh Asthana, and a galaxy of emerging poets.

Technology, governance, and reach

To stay in step with technology, the website www.hindi.org was developed, monthly Board meetings via teleconference were instituted in 2003, an electronic edition of Vishwa was introduced in 2007 with a worldwide subscriber database, and production was outsourced to India in 2005. The Samiti produced a weekly radio magazine Kavitanjali from Dallas, Texas, simultaneously streamed worldwide. The Constitution and Bylaws were amended to a Trustee Model in 2011. A Youth Committee was formed, more chapters inducted (including five in India), social media presence began in 2013, and StarTalk Hindi Summer Camps were launched.

These activities placed the Samiti on the international lingo-cultural map. The Government of India and various Hindi and cultural organisations — including Hindi Sahitya Sabha of Toronto, UP Samaj of USA, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and several universities — have recognised, awarded, or partnered with the Samiti. The work continues, and the Samiti is confident it will remain a strong force in promoting Hindi and India's culture for decades to come.