Omkar Dattatray
Let me begin the write up about Vishwa Hindi Diwas with a couplet which reads as-Kab Yovan Se Jag Uthage yah Hindi Ke Bala, Kab Sara Jag Isse Ho Jaye Ga Matwala.
Every year 10 January is celebrated as the world Hindi Diwas. On this occasion people worldwide arrange programmes such as symposiums, debates, workshops ,talks ,essay writing competitions etc to popularize Hindi and to throw light on the importance of Hindi language and resolve to make people aware about the use of Hindi in day to day life.
This year this important day was celebrated on 10 January 2025 Friday with great enthusiasm and with the resolve to make people especially the young generation aware and familiarize them with the use of Hindi language so that they make use of this sweet and fine language and communicate in Hindi .Hindi ranks as the third most spoken language, having over 600 million speakers worldwide.
Vishwa Hindi Divas ,or World Hindi Day ,is an annual observance aimed at expanding Hindi’s presence in international forums and encouraging its use as a tool for global communication.
This annual observance highlights the significance of the Hindi language and its role in connecting people across the globe .As the world celebrated the day on 10th January let us resolve to communicate in Hindi language. While this day aims to promote Hindi on global scale, it is distinct from Hindi Diwas celebrated annually on September 14 in India to honor the recognition of Hindi within the country.
World Hindi Day commemorates the historic moment in 1949 when Hindi was first spoken in the United Nations General Assembly-UNGA ,followed by the first World Hindi Conference inaugurated in 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Since then ,various conferences have been held worldwide to further Hindi’s reach, culminating in the official designation of January 10,2006, as World Hindi Day by the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. World Hindi Day is observed across the world to raise awareness about the Hindi language and promote its status as a global means of communication .Along similar lines ,World Hindi Diwas 2025 was marked under the theme, “Global Voice of Unity and Cultural Pride” which aimed to encourage linguistic and global interchange by using the Hindi language.
It sheds light on the challenges surrounding the use and promotion of Hindi, aiming to foster a greater understanding of the language worldwide.
Since its official recognition in 2006,the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has organized various events and celebrated this day ,while Indian Postal Department has issued special stamps to honor the occasion, further enhancing the significance of Hindi on a global stage.
The date marks the occasion when Hindi was recognized as one of the official languages of India on January 10,1950,by the Indian constitution. The idea of celebrating Hindi day internationally came into being in 2006 when the Indian decided to commemorate the languages global importance. However, it was on January 10, 2006, when World Hindi Day was celebrated for the first time. This decision was announced by the then Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh.
On this occasion storytelling sessions are organized and students are encouraged to participate in fascinating Hindi storytelling sessions. Language games and puzzles are also held in order to make the experience of learning Hindi enjoyable with language -focused games and puzzles.
On this day art and craft is encourage to familiarize Hindi among children. The other activities organized on this day to holding of Cultural workshops.
Besides, language competitions among students are encourage to the children to use Hindi and communicate in Hindi.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. Though Hindi is not the official national language of India, it is recognized as one of the 22 languages of India.
Vishwa Hindi Diwas holds immense importance as it honors the Hindi language, is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
The day emphasizes the cultural and linguistic richness and cultural beauty of Hindi and its role in uniting people across India and beyond. While World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on 10th January, the National Hindi Day is celebrated annually on 14th September. While the former focuses on promoting Hindi internationally, the latter commemorates its adoption as an official language of India. The theme for World Hindi Day 2025 is “The Global Voice of Unity and Cultural Pride”.
‘This theme highlights the importance of Hindi as a tool for global communication and cultural exchange .It aims to encourage the use of Hindi in international forums and celebrated its potential to foster unity across diverse cultures. World Hindi Day was first celebrated on January 10, 2006, following an initiative by the government of India. The date marks the anniversary of the first World Hindi Conference held in Nagpur in 1975,which brought Hindi to global stage.
Hindi Diwas serves as a reminder of the linguistic and cultural heritage of India. It emphasizes the role of Hindi in preserving and promoting India’s rich traditions and also in fostering the cultural exchange and unity in the world .On World Hindi Day, efforts are made to promote Hindi as an international language .Events and conferences are organized worldwide to showcase the beauty, richness and versatility of Hindi .Schools, colleges and universities across India and the world organize competitions, debates, and cultural events to encourage students to embrace and appreciate the Hindi language.
World Hindi Day fosters cultural unity not within the country but fosters it in the world as well and so there is great need to familiarize the students and others with the Hindi language. The annual observance highlights the significance of the Hindi language and its role in connecting people across the world. World Hindi Day commemorates the historic moment in 1949 when Hindi was first spoken in UNGA ,followed by the first World Hindi Conference inaugurated in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi .Since then, various conferences have been held globally to further Hindi’s reach, culminating in the official designation of January 10,2006 ,as World Hindi Day by the former PM Manmohan Singh.
This day aims to encourage linguistic and global interchange by using the Hindi language .It sheds light on the challenges surrounding the use and promotion of Hindi, aiming to foster a greater understanding of the language worldwide.
World Hindi Day promotes Hindi as a global language. It is one of the most spoken languages in the world and the tongue of many in India .It is not just a language but an emotion. Hindi, which has incorporated words from many languages, has become refined and a very simple and understandable language.
From the media to today’s writers, everyone is writing in the same language. The MEA celebrates this day globally by organizing various events and activities through Indian embassies and cultural centre’s in different countries. These events typically include cultural programs, language workshops, seminars, and discussions. This year’s theme of World Hindi Diwas, mentioned above aims to highlight the usage of the Hindi language for linguistic and international exchanges.
Among the other languages of India, Hindi is one of the most widely spoken languages of the world ,so the reason behind this is that it is more flexible than other languages in adopting the words of other languages.
And most impact able on the other language, because these words are in use among the Sanskrit languages. There are many such words of Urdu and English which have been adopted by Hindi. Hindi changes with the time. Perhaps today’s teenagers and youth are getting the benefit of digital media and it is true, the social media also gives a forceful and destructive bond. There is increased influence of Hindi language on the internet so this language is globally accepted, recognized and spoken. Hindi is an Indo-European language. It is said to be a descendent of the Sanskrit language which is the mother of all languages. Even English has borrowed a great number of words from Hindi. The term ”Hindi” is actually derived from the Persian language. Around 4.46 percent people of total world population speak Hindi.
In short Hindi has the distinction of being called as the global language and its importance in the cultural exchange and cultural unity of the world cannot be overlooked. The observance of this year’s World Hindi Day should lead to the expansion and usage of the Hindi language worldwide and for promotion and familiarization of Hindi language this year’s Hindi day was celebrated with gaiety.
(The author is a columnist, social & freelance writer)