Hindi, as a language, has been around for centuries and is currently the fourth most-spoken first language in the world, and the third most-spoken language in the world overall, after Mandarin and English.
In India, Hindi is one of the 22 official languages of the nation and along with English is the official language of the Union, used in official communications by the central government in parliamentary, judicial and general communications. Despite the illustrious history that Hindi has, it often gets sidetracked by the wide-spread popularity of the English language.
Although the cut-offs for admission to B.A Hindi are relatively lower than other courses, it is not an indicator of the potential of building a successful career after completing the course, but merely the presumed ‘popularity’ of the course. Pursuing Hindi opens up a variety of career options beyond that of simply teaching, and accordingly, the popularity of B.A Hindi and M.A Hindi have grown in recent years.
As connectivity improves between smaller towns and bigger cities, Hindi plays a key role in communication, especially in areas with low English penetration. If you are drawn to Hindi as a language and have a flair in it, there are numerous careers you can choose from.
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What is Hindi Literature all About?
The undergraduate degree course B.A Hindi Literature or B.A Hindi (Hons.) is a three-year and/or four-year course, available after completing Class 12 in any stream. It focuses on the study of Hindi literature, linguistics and the overall Hindi language. During the course, you will learn about the history of the Hindi language, Hindi script, and Hindi literature including poetry, drama, novel, prose, essay, plays, creative writing, scriptwriting and dialogue writing.
B.A Hindi is a comprehensive course that covers all the aspects of language and its applications throughout history and currently.
Which are the Top Colleges?
A few top colleges to study B.A Hindi include:
- Lady Shri Ram College for Women (University of Delhi)
- Hindu College (University of Delhi)
- Miranda House College University of Delhi) (for women)
- Jamia Millia Islamia
- Mithibai College
- Fergusson College (Pune)
- KJ Somaiya College of Arts & Commerce (Mumbai)
- St. Xavier’s College (Ahmedabad)
What are the Career Options After Hindi Literature?
1. Journalism
A career in journalism at its core involves conveying the news to the masses, whether you work as a news editor, news writer, reporter or anchor. Journalism takes place through various mediums, including television, radio, digital and print. Journalism is an ideal career to take up after you complete B.A Hindi since you will have excellent language skills with which you can convey news, either through text or visual mediums.
Job opportunities are available with radio channels, magazines, news websites, newspapers, news channels and even digital news production channels. To pursue a course in journalism, you can take up an undergraduate and a post-graduate course in Hindi Journalism where you can hone your practical skills in the field.
Recommended Read: Mass Communication Vs. Journalism: Are they the Same or Different?
2. Government Jobs
Pursuing a government job, especially at one of the illustrious Civil Services such as IAS or IFS, is a dream of many. However, to be eligible for the civil services examination conducted by the UPSC, it is necessary to have completed graduation, and B.A Hindi is an excellent option. You can take Hindi as your optional subject or even as a Mains language subject.
Apart from the central and state services, SSC and PSUs are both excellent examples of government jobs you can apply for. If you are interested in getting a government job, start preparing for the examinations as early as possible to have a better chance of clearing the exams and securing the job.
Recommended Read: How to Prepare for UPSC Civil Services: A Beginner’s Guide
3. Screenwriting
The film industry of Bollywood is booming and majorly depends on Hindi. Television shows in Hindi are also growing, with providers like Netflix and Amazon churning out Hindi TV shows at a breakneck rate.
The growth of Hindi cinema, television shows, YouTube productions, and even songs, is a burgeoning opportunity for you as a B.A Hindi graduate. The language used in all these formats is Hindi, and with a degree in Hindi, you can venture into writing scripts, dialogues and even lyrics.
Job opportunities are available with production houses, media houses and you can also freelance as an independent consultant. To build a career as a screenwriter, you may need to pursue a post-graduate course in screenwriting after B.A Hindi.
4. Translation
Translators are very much in demand these days, whether it is to translate official documents, news or articles, or even entire books. They play an important role in ensuring that the tone and content of the initial document are translated into the second language. You can translate documents from Hindi to other languages, or from other languages into Hindi.
To become a translator you would need some form of qualification in the second language, even if it is a certification course. Job opportunities are available with diplomatic missions, NGOs, production houses, publishing firms and even as a freelancing consultant. Based on your talent, you can grow rapidly.
5. Interpretation
Similar to the role of a translator, an interpreter also translates one language into another, however, interpreters do so orally. An interpreter would translate the words a person says into a different language, maintaining the original meaning as accurately as possible. In comparison to translators, interpreters cannot read the words or spend time in translation, but interpret the language in real-time.
Job opportunities are available with diplomatic missions, the United Nations, and universities with foreign students. MNCs with off-shore offices often hire interpreters to aid in smooth business proceedings. To become an interpreter, you need to have excellent verbal communication skills in another language apart from Hindi.
6. Content Writing/Editing
Hindi is used as a medium for a variety of publications apart from journalism, including textbooks, novels, plays, poetry, and more. An increasing number of websites are now preparing content in Hindi. For each and every publication, writers and editors are required to ensure adequate content with grammatical accuracy and no errors.
After studying B.A Hindi and honing your Hindi language skills, you can work as a writer and/or editor for a publication house, content agency or independently as a freelancer. You can improve your qualifications by pursuing a Master’s degree in a relevant subject matter, or even an M.A Hindi. Knowledge of Hindi typing would also be of great benefit.
Recommended Read: A Career in Content Writing: 5 Easy Steps to Get Started
7. Speech Writing
Speeches are made by business leaders, political leaders, influencers and more. Practically anyone who wants to influence a crowd will do so using a speech, either in person or through recorded video/audio. As the importance of speeches and public relations grows, there is a higher demand for speech writers. Since a major portion of the public in India is Hindi speaking, Hindi becomes a popular language for making speeches, therefore leading to the demand for professional speech writers.
The job opportunities are growing as public relations firms seek out speechwriters who can write engaging and persuasive content. To become a speechwriter, you can pursue a course in public relations or mass media and communication after your B.A Hindi degree.
8. Voice Associate
As the use of mobile phones becomes more widespread in all echelons of Indian society, the demand for people who are capable of conversing efficiently in Hindi is increasing. For major segments of the population, speaking in Hindi has been found to get better results than English, especially in fields such as telesales and customer service.
Job opportunities are available with call centers (inbound or outbound), customer care services, sales telemarketing and BPOs for Hindi-speaking professionals. There is no additional qualification required to become a voice associate, other than excellent communication skills. A degree in sales or marketing may help if you decide to specialize in any of these fields later on.
9. Teaching
One of the classic and popular career options after completing B.A Hindi is to become a teacher, and pass on the knowledge and capability of the language to further generations. As Hindi gains popularity internationally, there are also opportunities to teach Hindi to students outside of India.
Job opportunities are available in government and private schools based on the age of the students, whether primary level, secondary, senior secondary or college. The age of the students will influence the additional degrees you will need after B.A Hindi, whether it’s a B.Ed or M.Ed or M.A Hindi.
Recommended Read: Shaping Young Minds: 6 Different Routes to Become a Teacher in India
Summing Up
The popularity of Hindi is growing at a rapid pace worldwide, bringing with it myriads of career opportunities. If you feel drawn to Hindi, follow your dreams to build a successful career in any one of the many fields available.
If you are having doubts, consider career counselling to help you select which career path is best suited for you.
