The 6th Korea-India 2030 Forum: Facilitating Academic Discussions between India and Korea
2024-09-16
On September 6, 2024, the 6th Korea-India 2030 Forum was organized by the Institute of Indian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) through online mode. This forum is a part of a research project titled “Great Transition in India: A Korean Perspective on Indian Studies,” which is sponsored by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) under the Humanities Korea Plus (HK+) Project. The total project period is seven years, consisting of two phases: the first phase (2017-2020): “The Origin of the Great Transition in India,” and the second phase (2020-2024): “The Reality and Challenges of the Great Transition in India.”
I got the incredible opportunity to present my research findings on the topic titled, “Revival of Indigenous Languages in Contemporary India.” It was held through Zoom, and scholars actively participated in it from Korea as well as from various parts of India. The forum was inaugurated with special opening remarks by Prof. Kim Chanwahn, Director of the Institute of Indian Studies at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Afterwards, Ms. Sanjana Arya, Director of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, shared a congratulatory message. She briefly talked about the growing bilateral relations between India and Korea and appreciated the efforts made by HUFS to provide Indian and Korean students a great platform to engage in productive discussions. The forum was designed meticulously to provide a venue for dialogue and cooperation among graduate, undergraduate students and researchers from both the countries. Through this forum, researchers from various fields communicated and shared their research findings with fellow aspiring researchers.
The forum was divided into two sessions, and the topic of discussion for Session 1 was “2030 Generation and Great Transition in India/Korea,” and in Session 2 young scholars discussed on the theme of “Great Transition in Indian Politics, Economy, Society/Culture, Language, History and Philosophy.” In Session 1, topics related to the 2030 generation were discussed, especially focusing on ‘Social Mobility of Youth’, ‘Social Policies for Youth,’ ‘Quality of Life, Mental Health, and Happiness of Youth’ and ‘Misunderstanding and Truth about Youth.’ And in the second session, the presenters shared their thoughts on the HK+ Project's agenda titled, “Great Transition in Indian Politics, Economy, Society/Culture, Language, History, and Philosophy.” The main focus under the politics section was on the Indian general election of 2024 and its consequences. Whereas under the history section, the myth of Princess Heo was discussed and the gradually eroding tattoo culture among the tribal societies of Odisha was also discussed. Additionally, under the language section, a presenter explained expansion of the Korean language courses and teaching methods followed in Indian universities and schools.
My presentation topic was included in the language section of the second session. I expressed my views on the great transition in India in terms of Indian native languages. The Indian government is currently focusing on providing primary as well as higher education in Indian indigenous languages, especially in those 22 languages that are mentioned in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. I briefly explained the initiatives taken under the National Education Policy with a special focus on the promotion and preservation of Indian languages. Furthermore, I also talked about numerous challenges that hinder implementation of the policy and ways to overcome them. I’m thankful to the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for providing me with this excellent opportunity. It was a great learning experience and it helped me to develop new perspectives.
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