Hindi Diwas 202: History, significance and all you need to know about Hindi Day

Indians observe and celebrate Hindi Diwas every year on 14 September. It is a day to remember and honour the adoption of the Hindi language, written in the Devanagari script, as one of the official languages in the country. Also known as Hindi Day, it is a time to honour and promote the Hindi language among people, especially children. Another reason behind celebrating this day is to avoid the increasing trend of English and the neglect of Hindi. For the unversed, Hindi is written in Devanagiri script and it includes a large number of dialects attached to it, including Khari Boli, Bundeli, Awadhi, Bagheli and Braj. Among the many countries, India has a maximum number of Hindi-speaking regions. So far, our language stands in fourth place in the world after English, Spanish and Mandarin. Lest we forget, the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi was the one to term Hindi as the language of the masses. He initiated talking about making Hindi the national language of the nation. History of Hindi Day Hindi was adopted as the official language of India by the Constituent Assembly on 14 September 1949. The first Hindi Day or Hindi Diwas was observed on 14 September 1953. During that time, several efforts were made by various renowned and budding activists, poets and writers to adopt Hindi as the official language. The main objective behind adopting Hindi as one of the official languages was to streamline administration and make things simple in running the country. The day is also the birth anniversary of birth anniversary of Beohar Rajendra Simha, born on September 14, 1949, who is celebrated for his efforts in adopting Hindi as the official language. How is the day celebrated in India? On this special day, various literary and cultural events are held across the country. Programs and competitions including quizzes, debates, essay writing, poster making among others are organised to create awareness about the Hindi language. Significance of Hindi Day To love and respect the language more, it is advisable to use Hindi in place of English in all government offices. Along with the events, people also celebrate great works of Hindi literature. For the contribution and promotion of Hindi, awards like Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar and Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar are bestowed to public sector units (PSUs), nationalised banks, ministries, departments, and citizens.