Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized on Thursday that Hindi serves as a unifying force among India’s diverse languages, honoring both Indian and global languages and dialects. In his message on “Hindi Diwas,” Shah clarified that Hindi does not compete with other Indian languages and that a strong nation is built by strengthening all its languages.
Shah expressed confidence that Hindi would empower local languages as a medium of communication. He highlighted that India’s linguistic diversity is united by Hindi, emphasizing its democratic nature. Hindi has recognized and incorporated the vocabularies, sentences, and grammar rules of various Indian and global languages.
During India’s struggle for independence, Hindi played a crucial role in uniting the country, which comprises numerous languages and dialects. As a means of communication, Hindi facilitated the freedom movement’s progress from east to west and north to south.
The movements for “Swaraj” (self-rule) and “Swabhasha” (own language) ran concurrently in the country. Recognizing Hindi’s importance in the freedom movement, the framers of the Constitution officially designated it as the language on September 14, 1949. Shah stressed that a country’s genuine and creative expression is possible only through its native language.
He emphasized that all Indian languages and dialects are part of the nation’s cultural heritage and must be preserved. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Indian languages have gained recognition and respect at national and international forums.
The Department of Official Language within the Ministry of Home Affairs is actively working to enrich Indian languages through modern technology, making them languages of public administration, education, and scientific usage.
Shah advocated for using simple and clear Hindi words in official work, adhering to the principle that language should move from complexity to simplicity. He mentioned the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language’s role in reviewing the use of Hindi in government activities across the country.
To increase the use of the official language in various regions, 528 Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs) have been established, including those in foreign locations like London, Singapore, Fiji, Dubai, and Port-Louis. India has also taken steps to promote Hindi usage at the United Nations.
A tradition of organizing the “All India Official Language Conference” has been initiated by the Department of Official Language. Additionally, the department has developed a memory-based translation system called “Kanthastha” to advance the official language through technology. Furthermore, the “Hindi Shabd Sindhu” dictionary has been created as part of this initiative.
Source: PTI
Also read: Not opposed to English, but children in India should learn mother tongue as well as Hindi: Shah
