There are two days dedicated to the language Hindi in India: one is Hindi Diwas and the second is World Hindi Day. People often confuse one with the other and this is where we got the inspiration to clear the air for once and all.
But first, let’s begin with a bit of background
Hindi Day/Diwas 2022: History and Significance
English was the sole language used for administrative purposes in British India, and the nation wanted to replace it with a language of its own. On this Day, September 14, 1949, Hindi became one of the Official languages of the country.
That’s the reason we celebrate Hindi Diwas on September 14 of every year. However, the celebration was first instituted in the year 1953 by the first PM JL Nehru.
Difference between World Hindi Day AND the National Hindi Day/Diwas
| National Hindi Diwas | World Hindi Day | |
| When it is celebrated? | Hindi Diwas is celebrated on September 14 of every year. | World Hindi Day is observed annually on January 10 |
| Why it is celebrated? | It marks the declaration of Hindi as the official language of India on Sep 14, 1949. The Celebration was started by JL Nehru in 1953. | It marks the first World Hindi Conference that took place on January 10 in 1975, in Nagpur. Inaugurated by the then PM Indira Gandhi, Mauritius PM Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was the chief guest of the conference. However, it was PM Manmohan Singh who declared January 10 as World Hindi Day in 2006.
The Day is celebrated to promote the use of the Hindi language worldwide. Another objective of the occasion is to present Hindi as an international language. |
| How it is celebrated? | Various literary and cultural events like poem, song, speech, essay and letter-writing competitions are held across various schools and colleges in the country. | Indian embassies around the world and government offices across the nation mark the day by holding various programs promoting Hindi. World Hindi conference is held once every 3 years on January 10. |
Some Facts to know about Hindi
- The Sindhu (Indus) river is the originator of words like Hind, Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan, and India.
- Persians mispronounced the word Sindhu as Hindu. So the people became Hindu, and the place became Hindu-stan (land of Hindus).
- Greek did the same mistake. They called Sindhu Indus; naming the place India and people Indian.
Hindi is the third, by some estimates forth, most spoken language in the world. It depends on how exactly you calculate the number of speakers of Hindi and Spanish.
The Top 5 most spoken languages, including both native and second language speakers, in the world are:
- English (1.3 billion)
- Mandarin (1.1 billion)
- Hindi (600 million)
- Spanish (540 million)
- Arabian (280 million)
Hindi is also a direct descendant of an early form of Vedic Sanskrit.
Several Honours and Awards, like Rajbhasha Awards, are given on this day by the government to individuals and institutions for their significant contribution to the Hindi Language.
