New Delhi: Vishwa Hindi Diwas or World Hindi Day, is commemorated on January 10 every year, to mark the day when Hindi was first spoken in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1949. Hindi is the third most widely spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese and English with about 600 million speakers globally.
This February 2023, Fiji is all set to host the prestigious World Hindi Conference for the first time. The three-day conference will be held at the Denarau Island Convention Center in Nadi and will promote Hindi globally. It would see the participation of 1000 experts of Hindi Language including scholar’s writers and laureats.
Fiji has population of more than 896,000 and out of which over 30 percent is of the Indian –origin. It is said that many Indian had arrived in Fiji as indentured labour in the 19th Century, as per the reports of United Nations, in 2020.
Theme of the conference would be ‘Hindi: Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence’. The World Hindi Conference’s official website read that “Several exhibitions related to the development of the Hindi language will be organised at the conference venue.”
History
In 1950, Hindi was made the official language of the Union of India. The official language of India is designated as Hindi in Devanagari script in Article 343 of the Indian Constitution. Rashtra bhasha Prachar Samiti, Wardha, had the idea for the inaugural World Hindi Conference in 1973.
On January 10, 1975, Nagpur hosted the event. Its goal was to spread the language throughout the world. A total of 122 representatives from 30 nations attended the conference.
Dr Manmohan Singh, the then former Prime Minister, adopted the very first World Hindi day which was marked on January 10, 2006.
Numerous activities are planned on this day all around the world to honour the language’s rich legacy and to promote it. These are frequently hosted by educational institutions and take the form of literary contests, public forums, and cultural events.
The 12th World Hindi Conference in Fiji from February 15-17, 2023 will be hosted in partnership with Government of Fiji, the Ministry of External Affairs. Moreover, classes are provided to educate people about the language.
Significance
To recognise Hindi as a universal language, Vishwa Hindi Diwas lays a strong emphasis on developing a passion for Hindi language and valuing the contributions of Hindi speakers. It is also used to spread awareness of the use of the Indian language, as well as the ongoing issues with Hindi usage and promotion.
Celebration
Marked by the Ministry of External Affairs the witnesses, numerous activities that are planned both Nationally and Internationally to promote Hindi. This typically includes events like poetry readings, tests, cultural events, speech competitions, and debates. In addition to this, the Indian Postal Department also releases unique commemorative stamps to mark the growth of Hindi as a language.
(with further inputs from ANI)
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