Visiting India? Want to work in India? Need to speak to grandma? Want to watch a Bollywood movie without subtitles? Take a Hindi course at Rutgers! The Department of African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Languages and Literatures at Rutgers University, http://www.amesall.rutgers.edu/ currently offers Hindi at the Elementary, Intermediate, and Advance levels.
With some 700 million native speakers, Hindi is one of the two official languages of communication in India, and the second most widely-spoken language in the world. This would be a very useful language to learn if you are planning to take a Study Abroad trip or just a vacation trip to India. So build the skills and confidence to communicate when you visit.
Further, as globalization shrinks the world, it's becoming increasingly clear that being able to communicate in Hindi will be a valuable skill whether you visit India or not. According to the US Federal government, Hindi is one of the ‘critical-need' languages and is important to US diplomacy, national security, and economic competitiveness. There are approximately two million Indians in the United States. Of these more than half speak or understand Hindi!
Also, Hindi language has developed very rapidly outside India in recent years and its literature is getting richer every day. Plays, poetry, novels, and scriptures when translated into English tend to lose their essence, so being able to read them in the original language will uniquely add to your understanding of Indian culture and society. This will also provide an immense opportunity if you are a second or third generation immigrant and would like to perhaps connect with your roots and develop stronger connections with India. Imagine your friend’s or relative’s surprise when you are able to talk to her/him in Hindi!
Furthermore, since Hindi is the language of popular Bollywood movies, proudly watch them without subtitles! Hindi is a very expressive language that uses simple and gentle words to convey emotions. So take yourself deeper into the language to fathom the beauties that it offers. Understand Indian culture, heritage, and values through the vehicle of Hindi Language. Build your skills and confidence! Take a Hindi course at Rutgers.