Hindi Diwas 2022 : Date, History, Facts and Significance

Every year on September 14, India celebrates Hindi Diwas, also referred to as Hindi Day, to raise awareness of the significance of the Hindi language in the nation. The Sanskrit language, written in the Devanagari script, is one of the oldest languages and provides much of the academic terminology for use in Hindi. In India, English is increasingly used at the expense of Hindi, which accounts for the existence of this day.

The first Prime Minister of the country, Jawaharlal Nehru, decided to celebrate Hindi Diwas on September 14. Even Mahatma Gandhi called Hindi the language of the masses.

Apart from Hindi Diwas, World Hindi Day comes on January 10. The day commemorates the anniversary of the first World Hindi Conference held in Nagpur on January 10, 1975, which saw 122 delegates from 30 countries participating. The aim of the conference was to promote Hindi worldwide. World Hindi Day was first celebrated in 2006 by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to promote the Hindi language over the world.

History of Hindi Language

The Indo-Aryan part of the Indo-European language family is where Hindi’s history originates. One can find that the most Persian influence is on Hindi out of all Indo-Aryan languages. India is home to thousands of different languages and dialects. The country’s major post-independence controversy regarding the language revolved around Hindi.

Article 343(1) of the Indian constitution specifically states that “the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.” This suggests that the business of the Indian Parliament can only be in Hindi or English transcript. 

Sanskrit had quite a great influence on literary Hindi, which is written in the Devanagari script. The Khari Boli dialect, used in north India and east of Delhi, provides the basis for its standard form. Many people consider Braj Bhasha, Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Bundeli, Garhwali, Haryanavi, Kanauji, Magahi, and Marwari to be dialects of Hindi. 

The Hindi language is also widely spoken outside of India, including in Nepal, Australia, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Fiji, and Mauritius.

Significance of Hindi Divas

Every year, Hindi Diwas is marked to honor the Hindi language. To promote Hindi, it is suggested that Hindi be used in all government departments, on this day, numerous literary and cultural events showcasing the best of Hindi literature are organized. Many schools and institutions host literature and cultural programs and competitions to promote and raise awareness of the language.

On Hindi Diwas, ministries, departments, public sector entities (PSUs), nationalized banks, and individuals are also honored for their contributions and promotion of Hindi with the Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar and Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar awards.

At a ceremony conducted in Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan, the President of India recognizes individuals for their contributions to the language. 

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi had greeted the people on Hindi Diwas last year saying “आप सभी को हिन्दी दिवस की ढेरों बधाई। हिन्दी को एक सक्षम और समर्थ भाषा बनाने में अलग-अलग क्षेत्रों के लोगों ने उल्लेखनीय भूमिका निभाई है। यह आप सबके प्रयासों का ही परिणाम है कि वैश्विक मंच पर हिन्दी लगातार अपनी मजबूत पहचान बना रही है।”

“Hindi is not just India’s but one of the world’s most popular languages. As a language, Hindi acts as a bridge for Indians. It is the responsibility of all the users of Hindi to make it popular and use it as much as possible,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in a tweet in Hindi last year.

Some Interesting facts about Hindi and Hindi Diwas

1. On January 26, 1950, Hindi was declared the official language of India, under Article 343 of the Constitution.

2. The first Hindi web portal webdunia.com came in 1999, and from then Hindi has created a great buzz on the internet.

3. India’s most widely spoken language is Hindi. Hindi is a language that more than 70% of the population can speak and understand.

4. The most intriguing fact about Hindi is that the term “Hindi” is a Persian word. The renowned poet “Amir Khusro” wrote the first Hindi poem.

5. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, delivered the first Hindi-language speech to the UN General Assembly in 1977 when he was the country’s minister of external affairs.

6. French author “Grasim the Taisi,” wrote the first piece of writing on the emergence of Hindi.

7. The award Bhasha Samman was to motivate people to learn Hindi and other languages. Deserving authors who have made noteworthy contributions to Indian languages, and classical and medieval literature, get this honor each year, on Hindi divas.

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