Hindi in Russian universities: Student enrollments increasing; minister backs expansion

Opportunities to study Hindi at the university level in Russia are set to grow significantly, with the Indian language being heavily in demand, according to Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Konstantin Mogilevsky.“We want more of our students to study Hindi. India is the world's most populous country today, and more and more Indians are starting to use Hindi in their daily lives instead of English. We need to respond to this,” said Mogilevsky, as quoted by Russia Today.He stressed that the popularity of Hindi among Russian students has risen in recent years. “Young people who want to study Hindi today have more opportunities than before. In Moscow alone, there is MGIMO, RSUH, the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, and the Moscow State Linguistic University. The number of students enrolled in Hindi is increasing, and the number of groups is two to three times larger.”According to him, Hindi learning opportunities are not limited to the capital. Institutions across Russia — including St. Petersburg State University and Kazan Federal University — are expanding their Hindi programs as well.This comes amid the deepening ties between India and Russia. Recently, PM Modi met Vladmir Putin in China's Tianjin at the SCO summit. During his talks with President Vladimir Putin, PM Modi underlined the strength of India–Russia ties, noting the two nations have consistently stood by each other in difficult times. He stressed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. Putin, for his part, pointed out that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the India–Russia “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.”