Workshop
February 11, 2025
Bollywood to Boardrooms: Hindi’s Rise as a Global Language
On February 11, 2025, the Consulate General of India in Atlanta hosted Bollywood to Boardrooms: Hindi’s Rise as a Global Language, a distinguished event that highlighted the growing influence of Hindi beyond cultural and national boundaries. The evening served as a platform to discuss the language’s significance in fostering cross-cultural connections, its role in the global professional sphere, and its deep-rooted presence in the arts, particularly through the lens of Bollywood.
Keynote Address by the Consul General
Honorable Consul General Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan delivered an insightful keynote address, emphasizing Hindi’s expanding relevance on the world stage. He drew connections to India’s Pariksha Pe Charcha initiative, a program dedicated to fostering discussions on education and intellectual engagement. His speech underscored the importance of language as a medium of cultural and professional exchange, advocating for a broader appreciation and learning of Hindi as a global language.
A Cultural Showcase: Dance, Music, and Poetry
The event featured an enriching blend of cultural and intellectual engagements. Attendees experienced a captivating showcase of dance performances, musical renditions, and poetry recitations that reflected the artistic depth and emotive power of Hindi. These performances not only celebrated the language’s literary and musical richness but also reinforced its ability to convey profound narratives that resonate across cultures.
Panel Discussion on Hindi’s Role in Global Conversations
A dynamic panel discussion followed, bringing together experts and enthusiasts to delve deeper into Hindi’s evolving role in global interactions. Panelists explored the language’s impact on international business, media, and diplomacy, emphasizing its growing relevance in an interconnected world. The discussions provided valuable insights into how Hindi can serve as a bridge between diverse communities and industries, making it a key component of cultural diplomacy and global communication.
Looking Ahead
AGSC, along with Global Atlanta and the Consulate General of India, extends its gratitude to all attendees, speakers, and performers who contributed to making this event a success. Stay connected for future events that celebrate language, culture, and global dialogue.
Communicating Resistance: Bollywood and its Many Dance Forms
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the Hindi film industry and Indian culture via dance! In the West, Bollywood dance sequences are not taken seriously. How can these dance forms communicate love, joy, struggle, and resistance? In the hegemonic white West context, songs and dance have often been seen as something that makes the Hindi film "not cinema yet" (Madhava Prasad, Ideology of the Hindi Film). This workshop challenges such orientalist mindsets by introducing the various uses of Bollywood dance to the participants. They will learn how the body moves anti-colonially and in protest. This event is a collaboration between Dr Ankita Rathour, LMC, and the School of Modern Languages.
Audience: Students and faculty interested in Hindi cinema, and non-western interventions in communication.
Host: The workshop will be led by Dr. Ankita Rathour. She will begin with a short introduction on how communication and writing standards are shaped according to Western ideals and the ways Hindi cinema song and dance forms communicate resistance through songs and body movements. Ankita will then share how she has incorporated Bollywood in a Tech classroom, especially to strengthen non-verbal communication skills. Participants will engage in learning some moves to understand how the body conveys meaning.
Date: Friday, November 1, 11am
Location: Stephen C Hall, 106
Please scan QR to register.
Hindi Course
Title: GLOBAL BOLLYWOOD!
Course Code: HIN 2813
Instructor: Ankita Rathour
Course Description
In this course, students will learn about India's Hindi film industry (Bollywood) and Indian culture as shaped and transformed by it. The term "Bollywood" is mainly associated with dance and fun in the West. India, a culture of over 5000 years is also the world's largest film-producing nation with more than 1200 films released every year. Amongst its many film industries, Hindi cinema enjoys global recognition.
Located in India's film capital—Bombay, the Hindi film industry is the only one that was conceived and thrived during the brutal years of British colonialism. Not only this, but the industry is also truly exceptional as it resists Hollywood's imperial onslaught and remains true to its aesthetical forms. However, in the West, Bollywood has hardly been taken seriously. As a subject of academic interest, its Western takers remain few. This course challenges the assumptions that designate the Hindi film industry as "unserious" and "not art." So, what is Bollywood? How can one understand and appreciate this unique film industry? What makes Hindi cinema different? How do the ‘song and dance’ sequences challenge our perceptions of narrative forms? How do Hindi films bear the burden of postcoloniality and depict resistance? How is the film industry being forcefully (re)shaped but its current government?
Through these questions, students will learn non-Western film appreciation and engage with Indian culture via its major film industry. As a community, we will also learn about the Arab, African, and Jewish influences in Bollywood and its popularity in countries like Russia and China. Among several fun assignments, the class will create Bollywood-ized spoofs of famous Hollywood films.
