Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) Hindi Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026

About this course

Hindi being the national language of the country, it is important for each and every individual to know basic reading and writing in Hindi. Hindi speaking skills are also very important for social workers as the profession involves interacting and building rapport with people majority of whom may be Hindi speaking. This course would enable students to learn the basic reading, writing and conversation skills in Hindi. Besides, since the learners of the course would comprise of a mix of learners who already know Hindi, so the idea is to engage them in reading some good Hindi prose and poems and explain the same to the non-Hindi knowing learners. This would enable the learners to get exposed to Hindi literature and to appreciate the same.

Course objectives

• To learn reading and writing skills in Hindi
• To develop conversational Hindi and understand basic Hindi grammar.
• To understand and appreciate basic Hindi literature.
• To be able to read, write and speak in Hindi for personal and professional communication.

Learning outcomes

• CO 105 Demonstrate foundational proficiency in Hindi, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, with a focus on basic grammar and conversational Hindi in various social contexts.
• CO 106 Analyze and interpret prose texts (Gadya) by prominent Hindi writers such as Mahadevi Varma, Premchand, and Ismat Chugtai, understanding their social, cultural, and literary significance.
• CO 107 Critically engage with poetry (Padya) from poets like Kabir, Mahadevi Varma, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Gulzar, and Javed Akhtar, appreciating themes, stylistic elements, and poetic devices.
• CO 108 Express ideas effectively in written Hindi through essays, letters, debates, and comprehension tasks, demonstrating clarity of thought and command of language structure.

Unit I: Introduction to Hindi

• Swar, Vanjan, Reading Skills
• Conversational Hindi: one to one, one to many, one to group, public speaking.
• Basic grammar: Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs.
• Oral & listening exercises: speeches, debates, quiz.
• Written exercises on essays, letters (formal, informal), comprehension.

Essential readings

• Fr. Camil Bulcke Youtube links

Unit II: Reading exercises- Gadya & Padya)

• Gadya - Pardesi (Mamta Kaliya Story) - Boodhi Kaki (Premchand Story) - Prithviraj ki Aankhen (Ramkumar Verma, Ekanki) - Baa Aur Bapu (Ramnaresh Tripathi, Ekanki) - Bahu Ki Vidaai ( Vinod Rastogi, Ekanki) - Suryabala (to be taken in workshop mode)
• Journals – Sameechen, Kalyan
• Padya - Kabir - Pushp Ki Abhilasha, Makhan lal Chaturvedi - Jo Tum Aa Jaate Ek Baar, Mahadevi Varma - Jo Beet Gayi, Harivansh Rai Bachchan - Gulzar (any two poems) Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena Beete Rishte Talaash Karti Hai - Javed Akhter Maine Dil Se Kaha - Gopal Das Neeraj Manav Kavi Ban Jata Hai

Essential readings

• Verma Mahadevi, Shrinkhala ki Kadiyan, Lokbharti Paperbacks, Kolkatta, 2015
• Bharti Dharamveer, Sooraj ka santva ghoda, Bhartiya Jnanoith, New Delhi, 2016
• Munshi Premchand, Premchand ki sarvashreshta kahaniyan, Diamond, New Delhi, 2006
• Renu Phaneshwar Nath, Meri Priya Kahaniyan, Rajpal & Sons, New Delhi, 2016
• Chugtai Ismat, Do haath, Katha, New Delhi, 2009
• Kabir ke Dohe, Diamond books, New Delhi, 2020
• Gulzar, Pukhraj, Rupa, New Delhi, 2015
• Akhter Javed, LAVA, Rajkamal Paperbacks, New Delhi, 2016