“Hindi is the language of my soul,” says Rafia Begum. Faced with a lesser awareness of Hindi in Goa as compared to other parts of India, Rafia, a Hindi teacher for the last seven years decided to do her part to promote the language within the state. Her preparation spanning across two years enabled a batch of ‘students’ in Goa to answer a Hindi language exam on 12th February, 2017 conducted by the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, an organization recognized by Parliament as an institution of National Importance.
Her journey with the institution started as a sixth standard student when she completed the first level of the exam. Before she graduated from college, she successfully completed all eight levels of the exam and was awarded a gold medal for being the state topper of Andhra Pradesh for levels five and six.
Around two years ago Rafia initiated the application process to become a ‘Pracharak’ to conduct the exam in Goa and the fruits of her labour manifested itself in February this year.
“As a Hindi teacher, I felt that I must do something to promote Hindi. Knowledge of Hindi can be very helpful for Goan students if they move to other parts of the country in search of better prospects because Hindi is widely spoken all over India,” says Rafia.
Her proficiency as a Hindi teacher can be seen in the achievements of her students. The 12th standard board topper in Goa in Hindi for the last two years were her students and another student of hers was awarded the second prize in a national level essay writing competition.
Rafia has numerous qualifications to her name and holds degrees in B.Com. (Computers), B.Ed., M.A. in Hindi and is currently pursuing her M.A. in translation studies.
Rafia adds, “For me, education is important. Age doesn’t matter. We should keep on learning.”
Her philosophy is echoed by the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha which does not set any age limit to answer the exam. The batch of ‘students’ who answered the exam in Goa this year varied in age from a seven year old girl to a 45 year old woman.
Dhanalakshmi, the 45 year old woman who answered the exam said, “I don’t know Hindi but for the exam I learnt many things. I am looking forward to the next exam.”
The Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha was established in the year 1918 by Mahatma Gandhi who served as its President till his death. The certified book-based Hindi exams are conducted twice a year in February and September on the same day in all centres. The centre in Goa for the exam in February was the Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School. After passing each exam, the student receives a certificate and can move up to the next level, making it possible to complete all eight levels over a period of four years. Based on educational qualifications, a student can even skip a few initial levels of the exam.
Rafia is a passionate supporter of these exams and has taken up this initiative on her own accord. Initially, she invested her own money to start the process. She admits that even at present there is no monetary gain since the meagre amount earned from the exam fee (covering application till the issue of the passing certificate) goes into financing the preparation for the next exam. She has already begun enrollment for the exam to be held in September.
When Rafia is not teaching or involved with this exam, one might find the mother of two immersed in a book or writing poems in Hindi. She has knowledge of four other languages as well; namely English, Telugu, Urdu and Arabic. She says that she would be able to teach any subject if given the opportunity and resources to do so and because of this ability her colleagues call her an ‘all-rounder’.
Her passion for Hindi clearly stands out through her actions to promote the language in Goa.
