Learning Hindi is a passion, not an obligation

Learning is a process we continue over the course of our lives. The more effort and time we commit to learning, the more we benefit from it.

I am able to follow and speak in Hindi at an intermediate level; however when it came to reading and writing, when I first started learning the language I was close to illiterate. The Hindi/Urdu program at UC Davis has done an excellent job at teaching the Hindi dialect to beginners, such as myself. Lectures are not the sole method of teaching in this program, as we are granted many opportunities to participate in activities that practice our speaking skills. In the advanced Hindi class, for example, we produce a magazine called Patrika in which each student writes an article on a topic, completely in Hindi. Last quarter I wrote my first article.

At the end of each quarter, the Hindi/Urdu Program also holds its End-of-Quarter Event that is solely run by the students. Last quarter I was given the opportunity to be lead coordinator, through which I developed my confidence in management and leadership. In this event, students participate in dancing, singing, skits, and fashion shows conducted entirely in the language, thus encouraging speaking skills as well as creativity!

In addition, I was fortunate enough to do an internship with the Hindi/Urdu Program that helped develop my skills in Hindi. Here I produced my own show called, The Shruti Show. Originally, I was only going to interview a few of my friends from the Punjabi culture, from northern India; however, during the course of the show I interviewed students from different cultures and learned about their unique values and traditions. This show was an excellent experience through which I developed my Hindi skills in speaking more fluently and continuously.

Visit the following link to see a recent episode of The Shruti Show in which I interview students in the advance Hindi class and ask about their experience in the course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEwSq-EnRrU&feature=youtu.be.  

About the Author: 

Shruti Dadhwal graduated in the Fall of 2015 with a bachelor’s in Psychobiology. She loves to travel and learn new things. She has a passion to help people and she plans to continue doing so through the practice of medicine.