Hindi Diwas is celebrated annually on September 14, marking the day in 1949 when the Constituent Assembly of India declared Hindi the official language of the Union Government. This decision was made to promote Hindi, which was widely spoken across many regions of the country. To emphasise the importance of this historic decision and to spread the use of Hindi nationwide, the celebration of Hindi Diwas was initiated in 1953.
The movement to establish Hindi as the official language gained momentum after independence, with significant efforts from prominent figures like Vyavahar Rajendra Singh, Kaka Kalelkar, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, and Seth Govind Das. Their tireless work culminated in the adoption of Hindi as the official language.
The roots of this movement date back to 1918, when Mahatma Gandhi advocated for Hindi to become the official language during the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, calling it the language of the masses. After independence, the question of India’s official language led to extensive discussions, which ultimately resulted in the decision on September 14, 1949. Article 343(1) of the Indian Constitution established Hindi, in the Devanagari script, as the official language of the Union, with international numerals to be used for official purposes.
Interestingly, September 14 also coincides with the 50th birthday of Vyavahar Rajendra Singh, a prominent Hindi writer, making the day even more symbolic for the celebration of Hindi Diwas.
However, the choice of Hindi as the national language was met with opposition from non-Hindi speaking states, leading to the decision to also grant English the status of an official language. Over time, Hindi has been influenced by English, particularly in official and administrative usage.
Today, Hindi Diwas serves as a reminder of the linguistic diversity of India and the efforts to unite the nation through a common language, while respecting the importance of all regional languages.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 14, extended greetings to the people on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.”Many best wishes to all the countrymen on Hindi Diwas,” PM Modi posted on X.
सभी देशवासियों को हिन्दी दिवस की अनेकानेक शुभकामनाएं। pic.twitter.com/6VjqSI8cHr
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 14, 2024
Earlier today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah extended his heartfelt wishes to people on the occasion of Hindi Diwas and said that all Indian languages are our pride and heritage, and without enriching them, we cannot move forward.
“All Indian languages are our pride and heritage, without enriching them we cannot move forward. Official language Hindi has an unbreakable relationship with every Indian language. This year Hindi has completed 75 years of public communication and national unity as the official language of the country. I am confident that by taking all Indian languages together, official language Hindi will continue to contribute towards realising the resolution of a developed India,” Amit Shah posted on X in Hindi.
समस्त देशवासियों को हिंदी दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ।
सभी भारतीय भाषाएँ हमारा गौरव भी हैं और विरासत भी, जिन्हें समृद्ध किये बिना हम आगे नहीं बढ़ सकते। राजभाषा हिंदी का हर भारतीय भाषा के साथ अटूट रिश्ता है। इस साल हिंदी भाषा ने देश की राजभाषा के रूप में जनसंवाद व राष्ट्रीय एकता… pic.twitter.com/NgMeecOvgt
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 14, 2024
In a video message, the Union Minister also said, “This year’s ‘Hindi Diwas’ is very important for all of us because on 14th September 1946, the Constituent Assembly of India accepted Hindi as the official language. It is completing its 75th year and we are going to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the official language this year. Hindi has been very important for the official language and for the languages of all our states. Hindi has seen many ups and downs. But today, I can say with certainty that there is no competition between Hindi and any local language,” Shah said.
Amit Shah said that Hindi is a friend of all the local languages.
“Whether it is Gujarati, Marathi or Telugu, every language gives strength to Hindi and Hindi gives strength to every language…In the last 10 years, a lot of work has been done under the leadership of PM Modi to strengthen Hindi and local languages. PM Modi has put forth the importance of Hindi in front of the world by giving speeches in Hindi on many international forums and has also increased the interest towards our languages in our country,” the Union Home Minister added.
सभी भारतीय भाषाएँ हमारी शक्ति हैं और देश के इतिहास व संस्कृति को गति देने की मजबूत माध्यम हैं। इस वर्ष राजभाषा के रूप में हिंदी के 75 वर्ष पूरे हो रहे हैं। हिंदी सभी भारतीय भाषाओं को साथ लेकर हमारी विरासतों को आगे बढ़ा रही है।
कल ‘हिंदी दिवस’ पर नई दिल्ली में आयोजित ‘चतुर्थ अखिल…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 13, 2024
“In the coming days, the Department of Official Language is also bringing a portal for translation from Hindi to all the languages of the Eighth Schedule, through which, whether it is a letter or a speech, we will be able to translate it into all languages in a very short time using Artificial Intelligence,” he said.
Hindi Diwas is observed annually on September 14 to commemorate the decision to adopt Hindi as one of the nation’s official languages.
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