Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), Kuwait signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 12 September 2024 for setting up of ICCR's Chair of Indian Studies for teaching of Hindi Language in GUST. Ambassador of India to Kuwait, Dr Adarsh Swaika, signed the MoU on behalf of ICCR along-with Prof. Bassam Alameddine, President of GUST.
Under the terms of the MoU, ICCR, in consultation with GUST, shall appoint an expert Indian academician to teach Hindi for a period of upto 3 years in GUST.
Hindi language is one of the widely spoken languages in the world, with over 600 million speakers, making it the third most spoken language globally. Hindi's prominence extends beyond India, as it is spoken by large Indian diasporas in countries like Mauritius, Fiji, Nepal, and Trinidad & Tobago. Recognizing Hindi’s cultural outreach and contribution to multilingualism at the global level, the United Nations (UN) launched Hindi social media accounts on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram as well as a Hindi website of UN News in 2018. A similar Chair was recently set-up in Oman in December 2023, making it the first of its kind in the Gulf region.
This is ICCR's first-ever Chair of Indian Studies in Kuwait and can be considered as a major step in furthering the promotion of Hindi language and India related studies in Kuwait. A weekly Hindi radio broadcast was also launched on Kuwait National radio in April 2024. These steps underscore the importance being attached to Hindi language in Kuwait and is a recognition of the contribution of the large and vibrant Indian diaspora in Kuwait.