Hindi is the most spoken language in India and it is also among one of the most spoken languages in our world. It is an Indo-Aryan language and is derived from many languages which includes the ancient language of Sanskrit.
In honor of this language India celebrates its 'Hindi Diwas' annually on 14th September and this day also commemorates the event when Hindi in Devanagri script was adopted as one of the official languages of India.
This day aims to raise awareness regarding the language and also to promote the usage of this language in both nation and worldwide too and it also challenges the english imposition in India and urges people to learn and use Hindi in their daily lives.
| Event | Hindi Diwas |
|---|---|
| Date | September 14, 2022 |
| Day | Wednesday |
| Significance | Honors and advances Hindi, one of India's most widely used language |
| Observed by | India |
Hindi Diwas History:
The Constituent Assembly of India accepted Hindi, written in Devanagari script, as the official language of India on September 14, 1949. Officially, the first Hindi Day was celebrated on September 14, 1953. The reason behind adopting Hindi as one of the official languages was to simplify administration in a nation with multiple languages. Efforts were made by several writers, poets and activists for the adoption of Hindi as the official language.
The Hindi protagonists wanted Hindi to be the sole "national language" of India but the delegates from South India and other parts of India preferred English to have a place in the Constitution. And that's why the Munshi-Ayyangar formula declared Hindi as the official language of India's federal government but denied it the status of a national language and also declared English as an official language for administrative and educational purposes.
Like other Indo-Aryan languages, Hindi is a direct descendant of an early form of Vedic Sanskrit, through Sauraseni Prakrit and Sauraseni Apabhramsa which emerged in the 7th century CE in Northern India.
During the period of Delhi Sultanate, which covered most of today's north India, eastern Pakistan, southern Nepal and Banglades. And this resulted in the contact of Hindu and Muslim cultures, the Sanskrit and Prakrit base of Old Hindi became enriched with loanwords from Persian, evolving into the present form of Hindustani.
And this Hindustani language remain prevalent till Indian independence in the country and when the partition of India happened we got two languages from Hindustani which are Hindi and Urdu. And thus India adopted the modern-standard Hindi as one of the official language of the country.
Hindi Diwas Significance:
Today, Hindi is the most spoken language in the country as according to 2011 Indian Census about 43.6% of people in the country has named Hindi as their mother tongue and about 60% total has recognized Hindi as either first, second or third language. And majority of Indians knows a bit amount of Hindi today.
Although Hindi is not a national language as it is recognized as one of the 22 official scheduled languages of India but it plays a huge role in communication throughout the country. And it is also true that for that only it has also faced opposition in different parts of the country for Hindi imposition especially in Southern India.
But despite all of this Hindi Diwas promotes the usage of Hindi especially for them who are native speakers of Hindi and also encourages people to learn Hindi from around the world and country as it is a very beautiful language as well.
As today's world is very English driven world and India has has one of the largest Emglish speaking population in the world so this day wants to preserve the Hindi language so that people don't forget to use it while learning English and it also tries to challenge the English imposition in our world and the country.
It is true that Hindi is very prevalent today in India and it doesn't look like that it can go extinct anytime soon but it is said that 'precaution is better than cure' and hence this day aims to bring awareness regarding the Hindi language to the public and also encourages people to use and learn about Hindi language.
Hindi Diwas Celebrations:
Many literary and cultural events are organised on this day across the nation, wherein people celebrate great works of Hindi literature and other things which includes the Hindi language like music and movies as well. And as Hindi is mostly spoken in Northern and Central India so the culture of those regions are also celebrated on this day through folk music, dance, etc.
Awards like Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar and Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar are also distributed on this day to ministries, departments, public sector units (PSUs), nationalised banks and citizens on the occassion of Hindi Diwas for their contribution and promotion of the Hindi language.
Many schools and colleges also organise various literary and cultural programmes, as well as competitions to showcase the importance of the day and raise awareness about the language. The President of India honours people for their contributions to the language at a function held in Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan.
People also likes to celebrate this day by learning more about the Hindi language or by increasing their knowledge in Hindi vocabulary and they also likes to read Hindi literature and watch Hindi content on this day.
Most Searched FAQs on Hindi Diwas:
1. When is Hindi Diwas is celebrated?
Hindi Diwas is celebrated annually on 14th September in India.
2. Where is Hindi spoken?
Hindi is primarily spoken in Northern and Central regions of India.
3. In which script Hindi is written?
Hindi is written in Devanagari script.