In a State that has been known for its anti-Hindi imposition agitation, the tide seems to be changing.

Over the years, the number of people studying Hindi in Chennai city has been steadily increasing.

From 2009, the number of people taking the examinations offered by the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (DBHPS) has more than doubled, and officials say there is a 10 to 20 per cent increase in their numbers every year.

In 2009, 62,684 candidates had appeared for the examinations, and the number increased to 1,11,157 in 2013. In 2014, the numbers went up by another 20 per cent, an official from the organisation said. The largest increases have been in the Prathmik and Madhyama examinations, with over 10,000 additional students each, between 2009 and 2013.

The Parichay examination, the most basic, had a 35 per cent increase in number of students. The three examinations together saw close to 76,000 additional students over the same period. According to D. Selvaraj, secretary of the DBHPS press, more than half the candidates are studying in various schools in Chennai city.

“Around a third of our students are from IT companies and other private firms that seek everyday knowledge of Hindi,” he says.

Hindi teachers in the city say there is more interest in Hindi as a language, even among people who are not studying it.

K.V. Ramachandran, who trains students for various examinations, says today almost all families know some amount of Hindi.

Hindi Prachar Sabha officials say there is a 10-20 % annual increase in the number of students