Why is Hindi Diwas Celebrated and What is Its Importance?
On the 14th of September of each year, Hindi Diwas is celebrated across the country with enthusiasm and fervour. Apart from being a day of learning, Hindi Diwas has an interesting historical and social background, rooted in the spirit of India and its people. Let’s take a look at how Hindi Diwas came to be, and what it really means.
How the legacy of Hindi Diwas began
On 14th September 1949, Hindi was officially adopted as an official language in the Constitution of India. Though Hindi is not the official national language of India, it is one of the 22 languages recognised in the Constitution. Many prominent personalities made great efforts to have Hindi be acknowledged on a national scale. Amongst them was Beohar Rajendra Simha, whose birthday falls on September 14th and is this observed as Hindi Diwas.
The significance of Hindi Diwas
Millions of people in India and across the globe use Hindi in their day-to-day life, including communities in Mauritius, Fiji, Nepal, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, and Tobago. By observing Hindi Diwas, we are made aware of the various linguistic communities present around us. This also brings out the diversity of languages that India has to offer, as well as the rich culture that the Hindi language has carried through the centuries. Since the age of the poet Kalidas, Hindi and its various historic forms have been employed in every aspect of life from literature, art, drama and song, to official documentation, daily communication and the like. Hindi has a rich history and has stood the test time into the modern ages.
Recognition of Contributions
Hindi Diwas also serves as an opportunity to recognize the contributions of those who have worked to promote Hindi, whether through literature, education, or popular culture. Some eminent personalities include:
- Munshi Premchand
- Bharatendu Harishchandra
- Harivansh Rai Bachchan
- Mahadevi Verma
- Sarojini Naidu
- Rajeshwari Pandey
The celebration aims to promote Hindi and its rich literary heritage, and to encourage the use of the language across various fields.
How Hindi Diwas is celebrated
This day is observed in all institutions across India including schools, colleges and government offices too. Competitions, quizzes, cultural programs, seminar workshops, and reading sessions are organised to mark this day. In honour of enriching the language, many organisations arrange award ceremonies for poets, writers, public speakers and cultural activities alike. An interesting fact is that the Central Hindi Directorate was established by the Ministry of Education in 1960 to promote and propagate Hindi. Other initiatives such as the E-Saral Hindi Vakya Kosh and the E-Mahashabdkosh mobile application, introduced by the Department of Official Languages, aim to utilise information technology to foster the advancement of Hindi.
On this Hindi Diwas, you can participate in the celebrations as well. Reading up about well-known Hindi writers and poets, as well as Beohar Rajendra Simha himself can help understand Hindi Diwas in more depth. Creating slogans, short poems and short stories yourself can also be a fun exercise and test your linguistic knowledge. Take this opportunity to embrace everything you can about the language, and learn more in the process.