Computer science student complements goals with South Asian studies minor

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Bhavya Aplash didn’t expect a Hindi class to shape his future career in user experience (UX) design. But now, as a fourth-year computer science major with a minor in South Asian studies, he finds his work sitting at the intersection of language, culture and technology.

Aplash recently applied his minor, the newest one in the College of the Liberal Arts, with his major to develop the Hindi Script Learning Tool “Hindi Lipi,” which introduces users to the Devanagari script through a simple, intuitive and accessible design.

Aplash chose computer science as his major because of its versatility, allowing him to create programs and technologies that can be applied across a variety of industries. Since entering the College of Engineering, the Manalapan, New Jersey, resident has learned various technologies and programming languages that can be used creatively, such as in linguistics and education.

The bridge between his two focuses was HINDI 001, an introductory Hindi course taught by Lecturer of Hindi and Asian Studies Ritu Jayakar, where Aplash learned about the language’s cultural context and the history of South Asia. This, he said, sparked his curiosity and motivated him to learn more, leading him to pursue the topic as a minor.

Jayakar is developing the online Hindi Script Learning Tool to help non-native Hindi speakers learn the Devanagari script through word-object association, helping English speaking learners from a global audience better grasp and remember words and letters more efficiently.

“I first got involved when Professor Jayakar proposed the project to me due to my technical background and my newly acquired knowledge of the Hindi language and the Devanagari script,” Aplash said. “We then discussed the project scope, and I was excited to be able to use my skills from my computer science major to assist my interest in language and culture.”

“This project has been a long time in making,” Jayakar said. “For my introductory Hindi class, I use slides using clip arts to help students associate Devanagari alphabets with objects.”

She added that a grant from the Liberal Arts Office of Digital Pedagogies and Initiatives enabled her to expand the scope of the project to add custom illustrations, videos and possibly make it open source.

“Bhavya was the ideal person to help me execute this project as he was learning Hindi and had the requisite technical skills,” Jayakar said.

Aplash built the project in Pressbook and used H5P to create interactive learning exercises, while Adobe Illustrator supported the design of letter-object combinations and HTML helped integrate all elements of the site. Throughout the project, he designed more than 50 script visuals and learning exercises, and to accompany the website, he also created a set of flashcards for hands-on, in-class or at-home learning and practice. Together, these tools provided structured, interactive, accessible and reusable content that reduced development friction while reinforcing how language, culture and technology intersect.

Throughout the project, Aplash designed more than 50 script visuals and learning exercises, which helped him see how language, culture and technology intersect, he said.

“The designing of the visuals was an iterative process, where we started with coming up with English words that would match Hindi letters through Professor Jayakar’s linguistic expertise,” Aplash said. “Then, I would create a draft for the object/letter combination, and finally, we would assess if the combination and design of the combination worked best for learners through testing it in Hindi classes and iterate accordingly.”

Aplash and Jayakar used WebAIM and followed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, an international standard, to ensure the learning tool’s content was accessible to those with disabilities. Then, for usability, they observed how students used the tool in class to decide on design formatting, especially for mobile-friendly approaches.

“Hindi Lipi” slowly eases learners into what Devanagari looks like through minimal styling and simple letter design to help learners focus on the lettering style.

The exercises also include audio clips to help learners understand accents and short videos explaining the formation of letters. Lastly, the book cover of a bazaar in New Delhi showcases the tool as a practical resource for reading and speaking Hindi in daily life.

Aplash said projects like this connect people across cultures and has forced him to think more deeply about how users from different backgrounds engage with language. He also stressed that institutional support is critical for interdisciplinary work that exists at the intersection of technology and language.

“Liberal Arts and its Office of Digital Pedagogies and Initiatives, by assisting and funding our project, were able to step in and make this project actually happen,” Aplash said. “With the funding, we were able to allocate time and work towards the tool, creating tailored designs for our project and incorporating accessibility and best practices.”

Aplash said he’s proud that students are using the tool to learn Hindi, noting it would have enhanced his learning experience had he had it during his first year. Looking ahead, he plans to apply what he’s learned at the intersection of design, culture and technology to create more culturally accessible digital interfaces in UI/UX or product design.

He encourages other engineering students to consider adding a Liberal Arts minor, noting his coursework in South Asian studies strengthened his writing, critical thinking and creative skills.

“This combination especially encapsulates Penn State’s interdisciplinary mindset,” Aplash said. “It makes us well-rounded students who can thrive in culturally diverse contexts.”

More information

The “Hindi Lipi” project is in its final stage of development. Faculty and students who are interested in learning more can email Hindi@psu.edu to receive access to the project.