During Hindi Diwas, the Prime Minister of India praised the Hindi language for garnering special recognition on a global scale. He cited its simplicity and sensitivity as key features that consistently entice people.
A Brief History of Hindi Diwas
Hindi Diwas, also known as National Hindi Day, is an annual event observed on September 14 in India. This day commemorates the adoption of Hindi as the official language by the Constituent Assembly of India in 1949. The decision to use Hindi as an official language was endorsed by the Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950. The tradition of celebrating Hindi Diwas was initiated by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. In addition, Hindi is one of the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution but unlike other languages listed, it is not recognized as a classical language. Article 351 outlines the directives for the development of the Hindi language.
Government Initiatives to Advocate for Hindi
In order to promote and propagate Hindi, the Central Hindi Directorate was established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Education in 1960. Similarly, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) set up ‘Hindi Chairs’ at various overseas universities and institutions. Another initiative includes LILA-Rajbhasha, a multimedia intelligent self-tutoring app developed to assist in learning Hindi. To exploit the potential of information technology for the development of Hindi, the Department of Official Language launched E-Saral Hindi Vakya Kosh and E-Mahashabdkosh Mobile App. The Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar and Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar are awards given to acknowledge significant contributions to Hindi.
The Evolution and Influence of the Hindi Language
Hindi, the fourth most spoken language worldwide, is primarily written in the Devanagari script. The language gets its name from the Persian word ‘Hind’, which refers to ‘the land of the Indus River’, and is believed to have descended from Sanskrit. During the early 11th century, Turk invaders dubbed the regional language as Hindi, meaning ‘language of the land of the Indus River’. While Hindi and English are the official languages of India, Hindi is also spoken in other countries including Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, and Nepal.
Hindi has passed through various stages of development; during these phases, it was known by different names. The earliest form of old Hindi was called Apabhramsa. Renowned poet Kalidas penned a romantic play in Apabhramsa titled Vikramorvashiyam in 400 AD. The modern Devanagari script we see today originated in the 11th century.