World Hindi Day 2023: Lesser known facts about Hindi Language

New Delhi: Call India “Bharat” or “Hindustan”, the national language- Hindi is the core and soul of the country. Every year on January 10, Hindi geeks around the world observes World Hindi Day, also known as Vishwa Hindi Diwas, to recognize and celebrate the significance of Hindi as a language.

India is a country full of vivid colors, rich cultures, breathtaking scenery, and a diverse range of languages. Each state possesses its own local dialect, with additional languages spoken in secluded and tribal regions. One of them is Hindi, which is transcribed in the Devanagiri script and has many dialects such as Braj, Khari Boli, Bundeli, Awadhi, and Bagheli.

Here’s how everything started:

The celebration of World Hindi Day goes all the way back to 1949 when Hindi was formally accepted as India’s primary language for the first time at the United Nations General Assembly. To mark the occasion of the achievement, the first-ever World Hindi Conference took place in 1975 at Nagpur, Maharashtra. It was officially launched by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi. The first World Hindi Conference formally recognized commenced on January 10, 1975. It took place from January 10 to January 12, 1975, in Nagpur. Along with 100 other delegates from 30 countries, the then-prime minister of Mauritius, Seewoosagur Ramgoolam joined as the chief guest and attended the conference.

Importance of the auspicious day:

The goal of this day is to raise public awareness about Indian languages and publicize them as global languages all over the world. It also serves to raise awareness about the use of the Indian language, as well as the concerns that still exist regarding the use and recognition of the Hindi language.

Lesser known facts about the Hindi Language:

1. Hindi typewriters were first manufactured in the 1930s.

2. The phrase ‘Hindi’ is obtained from the Persian word ‘Hind’ which indicates ‘the land of Indus river’.3. In 1881, Bihar emerged as the first state in India to announce Hindi as its primary language, substituting Urdu.

4. Hindi made its internet breakthrough in 2000 with the publication of the first Hindi journal; ever since, the Hindi language has left its mark on the World Wide Web and has grown in popularity.

5. Around 600 million people worldwide speak Hindi as their first language.

6. The first Hindi poem was written and published by the poet Amir Khusro.

7. In 1977, Atal Bihari Vajpayee confidently demonstrated his admiration for the Hindi language by delivering a speech in Hindi to the United Nations.8. On January 26, 1950, Article 343 of the Parliament declared Hindi to be a dominant language.

9. The Oxford Dictionary now includes several Hindi words such as ‘Achha’ and ‘Surya Namaskar’.

10. Hindi is spoken in Nepal, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Pakistan.