Hyderabad: India is a rich country with many languages and scripts. Many languages are spoken here. The Hindi language connects more than half of the country. Although Hindi has not got the status of a national language in India, Hindi has a special identity as an official language.
The Hindi language unites Indians as well as Indians living abroad. Hindi is both the identity and pride of India. World Hindi Day is celebrated to unite Indians living in all the countries around the world by using Hindi language.
History of celebrating Hindi Day: The celebration of Hindi Diwas officially started on 14 September 1953. In 1953, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, as the Prime Minister of India, announced to celebrate September 14 as National Hindi Day in the Parliament House.
Since then, every year this day is celebrated as National Hindi Day. Following the recommendation of the National Language Promotion Committee, Hindi Day started being celebrated from 14 September 1953. World Hindi Day is celebrated all over the world on 10 January, thus Hindi Day is celebrated twice in India.
Most Spoken Language: Global Hindi Research Institute, Dehradun, while giving information on the 19th edition of its Research Report 2023 reveals that now Hindi has become the most spoken language in the world. To prove the authenticity of this research, it was examined in 31 stages in which this research was discussed by scholars in universities, fact check was carried out in special seminars organised for this purpose, and its authenticity was confirmed by language authorities. Views/opinions of linguists and Hindi scholars were sought. On this basis, the Ministry of Finance, Government of India had given instructions to all government banks, Public Sector insurance companies, and financial institutions that this research should be compulsorily taught in all Hindi workshops/Seminars and it should also be published in their house Journals.
Ranking By Ethnologue: The ranking of languages in the world is being done by “Ethnologue”, a prestigious American organisation. Ethnologue has been ranking Hindi as the third largest language in terms of the number of people speaking/knowing the language.
Hindi derived from the Persian word Hind: The name Hindi is derived from the Persian word Hind, which means land of the Indus River. The Persian-speaking Turks who invaded the Gangetic plain and Punjab in the early 11th century gave the name Hindi to the language spoken along the Indus River. This language is an official language of India and a recognised minority language in the United Arab Emirates.
Government Initiatives to Promote Hindi Language: The Centre has implemented several initiatives to enhance the use and status of the Hindi language. Key efforts include:
Awards and Scholarships: Honours such as the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar and Rajbasha Kirti Puraskar recognise individuals and organisations for their contributions to promoting Hindi.
Hindi Sahitya Sammelan (Recognition) Act, 1956: This act established a body to organise literary events, support authors, and foster Hindi literature.
Hindi Language Courses: The Central Hindi Training Institute (CHTI) provides various courses to enhance Hindi proficiency among non-Hindi speakers.
Use of Hindi in Technology: Initiatives to increase the accessibility of Hindi on digital platforms and technology, including Unicode support.
International Promotion: India and Mauritius established the World Hindi Secretariat (WHS) in 1999 to advocate for Hindi’s global recognition and inclusion as a UN official language.
As one of India's official languages, Hindi holds a prominent place in South Asia. Its Devanagari script and diverse dialects contribute to the linguistic richness of the Indian subcontinent. Hindi's cultural significance is evident in Bollywood films and classical literature.
The first poem in Hindi was written by the famous poet 'Amir Khusro'. The first author to write a book on the history of the Hindi language was not an Indian, but a French author, Grasim de Taisi. In the year 1977, former Prime Minister of the country Atal Bihari Vajpayee proudly presented a speech in the Hindi language in the United Nations, showing respect for the Hindi language.
On January 26, 1950, Hindi was considered the primary language under Article 343 of the Parliament. Many Hindi words like 'Accha' and 'Surya Namaskar' have been included in the Oxford Dictionary.
Hindi got the status of official language in 1950. In the year 2009, Google introduced Hindi in its search engine. Apart from India, Hindi is spoken and understood in Mauritius, the Philippines, Nepal, Fiji, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, Tibet and Pakistan.
