The European Day of Languages has been celebrated since 2001. Millions of people in all member states of the Council of Europe celebrate this day. But it is not only in Europe that this day is celebrated. In the South Asia region, we have been celebrating this day since 2019 in cooperation with schools and cultural and foreign representations of various European countries.
It is important to draw attention to the diversity of European languages. But we also want to highlight the exchange between all languages in such a colourful and language-rich space as South Asia. To this end, in the special year 2021, the anniversary year of the European Day of Languages, we invited artists, poets to speak about language, its migration and transformation. All our guests were emissaries of cultural exchange as they move transculturally in the global world and make language the subject of exchange.
06.09.2021-26.09.2021
Programme of the day
For everyone
- Introduction
- Welcome Speech by
- Dr Òscar Pujol, Director, Instituto Cervantes of New Delhi and President, EUNIC
- Dr Berthold Franke, Director, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and former president, EUNIC
- Video by dignitaries, ambassadors, representatives and school principals
- Cultural performance by school students
For schools
- Short Film Screening and Discussion on the films produced by the students
- Virtual Gallery Walk through the artworks of the students
- Break
- Short Film Screening and Discussion on the films produced by the students
- Virtual Gallery Walk through the artworks of the students
For adults
- Keynote lecture by Dr Peggy Mohan
about migration, the development of the languages of India and the history of their speakers.
- Break
- 6 poets from India and Europe reading and discussing their poems
Moderation: Jayashree Joshi, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai- André Velter from France, writes in French
- Christian Filips from Germany, writes in German
- Iris Blauensteiner from Austria, writes in German
- Rui Cóias from Portugal, writes in Portugese
- Subhro Bandopadhyay from India, writes in Spanish and Bangla
- Sabika Abbas Naqvi from India, writes in Urdu, Hindi, Hindustani and English
For everyone
- Break
- Music meets poetry
Musician Anoushka Maskey, with her fondness for storytelling, will come together with author and poet Janice Pariat, who has been published in several languages, in the session ‘Music meets Poetry’. They will converse with each other in the mediums that they have chosen as their profession. There will of course be some friendly banter along the way to bridge the gap between the readings and the music.
- Farewell note
- Dr. Òscar Pujol, Director, Instituto Cervantes of New Delhi and President, EUNIC
- Vote of thanks
- Veronika Taranzinskaja, Project Head, Schools:Partners for the future (PASCH)
- Dr Òscar Pujol, Director, Instituto Cervantes of New Delhi and President, EUNIC
- Dr Berthold Franke, Director, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and for president, EUNIC
- Aquabella: Acapella Band from Berlin
- Address by Mr Seppo Nurmi, Deputy Head of European Delegation to India and Bhutan
Moderation: Mr Rahul Putty, Head, Department of Languages, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal
- Dr Babu Thaliath - Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- Dr Nandita Wagle, President, West Zone, Indian Association of Teachers of French
- Ms Puneet Kaur, President, InDaF-The Indo German Teachers Association
- Ms Miriam Navarro Conca, Official DELE in charge, Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi
- Dr Terry Lamb, Vice-President and former President, FIPLV(Federation Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes)
- Mr Rahul Putty, Head, Department of Languages, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal
- Aquabella: Acapella Band from Berlin
- Ms Veronika Taranzinskaja, Expertin für Unterricht, Schulen: Partner der Zukunft (PASCH)