Hello fellows! Hope you all are doing good. Today’s blog is about Hindi Diwas observed annually on September 14th marking the declaration of language Hindi as an official language. The day is a celebration of the Hindi language and its cultural heritage and values among the people of the country and abroad.
This day is celebrated to commemorate the adoption of Hindi in the Devnagari script as one of the official languages in different Hindi-speaking states of India. However, it is the fourth most-spoken language in the world after Mandarin, Spanish and English. Furthermore, the Hindi language is native to India and boasts a rich history.
Aim:
This day marks the birth anniversary of Rajendra Singh, who had worked effortlessly to bring out this decision about the official language of India. It encourages us to value the Hindi language and inspires a love for it. The Hindi Language is rooted in our culture and every Indian must respect it. Hindi Diwas also aims to evoke awareness about the Hindi language (Mother Tongue) across the world.
History:
Hindi is a direct descendant of an early form of Vedic Sanskrit. In India, the first National Hindi Diwas was celebrated in the year 1953. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, decided to celebrate Hindi Diwas on September 14. On 26 January 1950, it became a part of the Indian constitution.
With the efforts of Beohar Rajendra Simha along with Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Kaka Kalelkar, Maithili Sharan Gupt and Seth Govind Das, Hindi was adopted as one of the two official languages of the Republic of India by the Constituent Assembly of India. Thus Hindi written in Devnagari script was adopted as one of the official languages and was declared under Article 343 of the Indian Constitution.
Importance of Hindi Diwas: It is celebrated to show the beauty of the Hindi language. And it also reminds us of its rich past. The younger generations must be reminded of the importance of the Hindi language. Hence, most schools and educational institutes in India organize special events to celebrate this day. Various activities are organized on the occasion of Hindi Diwas to emphasize the importance and richness of Hindi.
Why do we celebrate Hindi Diwas:
As both Hindi and English have been declared as the official languages of India. Though, the inclination towards English is much higher among Indians. A person who is fluent in English is given more respect while someone who doesn’t know it and uses the Hindi language to communicate is looked down upon. Disparaging our mother tongue and the people who use it is a matter of shame for us.
Hindi Diwas reminds us that Hindi is our main language. Hindi is our mother tongue and it is our official language also. It is rooted in our culture and thus it defines us. The importance of the Hindi language is emphasized through the several events organized to celebrate Hindi Diwas.
World Hindi Day Vs Hindi Diwas
World Hindi Day and National Hindi Diwas are often mistaken for the same event. They are in reality, completely different from each other and bear no similarities. As said earlier, World Hindi Day aims at promoting the Hindi language on the International platform. It remembers the anniversary of the very first World Hindi Conference held on January 10 in the year 1975 in Nagpur, India.
However, National Hindi Diwas is celebrated every year on the 14th of September to celebrate the event when the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as the official language of India in 1949. To propose the importance of this decision by the constituent assembly, every year September 14 is celebrated as the Hindi Diwas. Moreover, this day marks the birth anniversary of Rajendra Singh, who had worked effortlessly to bring out this decision about the official language of India.
Some interesting facts:
- English words including an avatar, bungalow, guru, jungle, khaki, karma, loot, mantra, nirvana, punch, pyjamas, sorbet, shampoo, thug, typhoon and yoga, are borrowed from Hindi. Several Hindi words like ‘Achha’, ‘Surya Namaskar’ have been included in the Oxford Dictionary.
- Hindi is also spoken in Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Nepal.
- Hindi got its name from the Persian word ‘Hind’ meaning “land of the Indus River“.
- Letters of the Hindi alphabet have their own independent and distinct sound. Hindi script is phonetic, which is why words are pronounced exactly as they are written.
- In the year 1881, Bihar replaced Urdu with Hindi as its sole official state language and thus became the first Indian state to adopt Hindi.
- The first Hindi Typewriters were made in the 1930s.
- On September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi as the official language of the newly formed nation.
- World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on January 10.
- The first modern Devanagari script came into existence in the 11th Century.
So, with this, we came to an end of this detailed blog on Hindi Diwas. For more such interesting & informative blogs, stay tuned.
Thank you!
