Bhasha Sangam initiative

India’s richness is marked by her cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity. In order to celebrate these unique features of our country, the Bhasha Sangam initiative under the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" ushers in a programme for schools and educational institutions to provide multilingual exposure to students in Indian languages listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India. This initiative is just the beginning of a journey meant to create interest in these languages and a curiosity to learn more. It will be followed by other activities subsequently.

The Ministry of Education (MoE)  through National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has suggested all the heads of the CBSE schools to follow Bhasha Sangam Initiative. All the students of class 10 and 12 who are studying under CBSE board will get the opportunity to explore the various languages under the Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India.

Objectives

• To introduce school students to all the 22 Indian Languages of Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India.
• To enhance linguistic tolerance and respect, and promote national integration.

Features of Bhasha Sangam

• This will be run by the State/UT Department of School Education.
• The effort is to enable learners learn and use 100 sentences in the 22 language will go in a long way in promoting language learning and understanding others through schooling. 
• A short dialogue consisting of five simple, commonly used sentences has been designed in 22 languages for use by students of all classes.
• Sentences from each language are to be shared with student’s everyday for 22 working days. Everyday only one language will be shared.
• A digital book with audio recordings of the dialogues is available on the websites https://ncert.nic.in/bs-2021.php so that students can hear the correct pronunciations. A mobile app is also made available to access the e-resources.
• The suggested activities should be carried out in a joyful and interesting manner. Students have enjoyed the activities and participated with great enthusiasm wherever this initiative has been piloted. This initiative is not mandatory and there should be no formal testing of any kind.
• Heads of schools may upload photographs and videos of daily activities under Bhasha Sangam. The State/UT Department of School Education and the DEOs and BEOs may also upload/submit photos and videos of the activities at the State/UT level, and the district and the block level respectively. The Department of School Education and Literacy, MoE, Govt. of India will recognise and award the best schools, the best blocks, the best districts and the best States/UTs on the basis of the uploaded/submitted photographs and videos.

Suggested activities

1. The 5 sentences pertaining to the language of the day should be read out e.g. Assamese on day 1, Bengali on day 2 etc., in the morning assembly, and students asked to repeat them. In case there is any student from that State, e.g. Assam on day 1, West Bengal on day 2 etc. or who speaks the language studying in the school, then he/she or even all of them should preferably read out the sentences in the morning assembly. Similarly, any teacher, parent, government servant or any other person from that State or who speaks the language, may be invited to read out the sentences.
2. Senior students may be encouraged to create posters on these sentences, these can be put up all over the school.
3. Teachers may address the students and converse with them in the language of the day, and encourage students to do the same.
4. Students may be encouraged to share these sentences with their families at home.
5. The schools may carry out other activities related to this initiative

Conclusion

Training language skills in students will definitely help build their career and create confidence to work anywhere in the country having a decent hold on diverse languages of respective states. Bhasha Sangam marks the unique symphony of languages of our country and is an expression of our shared dreams, hopes and aspirations for one India.

Source : Ministry of Education