It’s remarkable how the moment you hear the word ‘INDIA’ you immediately think the Taj Mahal or camels canvassing the sandy dunes of Rajasthan. And, there is a beauty in that, no doubt. But a deeper beauty lies within the country. And it balances itself ever so delicately on the tongues of the people as it rolls off to form connections and build bridges with others. That beauty so happens to be a language. Hindi to be precise; the language of a multitude. And, Hindi Diwas celebrated on 14 September is an occasion to promote the language and to showcase its beauty for the world to admire and imbibe.
Celebrating The Indian Tongue
The Indian tongue is a beautiful yet complex mechanism. Taking into consideration how Hindi, the national language, is not as easy to commit to memory as you would think. Despite it being the 2nd most commonly spoken language in the world.
A literal conversion of the Hindi language into English, word from word, would prove how magnificent and unorthodox it is. If you literally convert the phrase ‘tum kaise ho?’, which means how are you, to English word from word? You would get “You doing how”. See? Unorthodox.
Yet pride is instilled in the hearts of the many as they celebrate the existence of the language itself. Through anthems, speeches, literature, Hindi has provided that verbal backbone that India so deserves.
Celebrating The Occasion
Hindi Diwas looks to promote the language as well as the cultural values and heritage associated with this poetic language. The occasion itself is wrapped in a bouquet of events that praise and promote the day like:
- Competitions
- Quizzes
- Street plays
- Fairs (or Melas)
- Poetry or story recitals
This is done with the clear initiative of showcasing the importance of the language while maintaining its purity, be it at an academic or professional level. The Rajbhasha award to those deemed worthy of receiving this prestigious entitlement by actively contributing in their own field of expertise, be it culture, art, literature.
Celebrating Its Magnitude
It’s no mystery that India has been the foundation for many earlier civilizations; and the amount of languages present now is proof of their existence.
An official number is given stating that there are 122 languages, according to the People’s Linguistic Survey of India. Experts, however, believe that it is far below the 780 they have counted and believe there are STILL a 100 more to be discovered and recorded.
So it is astounding to imagine that all these languages serve as a verbal road map to the history of India itself!
So it’s no wonder that you can catch the shine in the eyes of the Indian people when they talk about their own country and even more so when they do it in their native tongue.
Celebrating Its Impact On The World
It has a global audience. Don’t believe this fact? Well, the former U.S. President George W. Bush put in a place a budget to make Hindi a part of the school syllabus and to be taught from a kindergarten level. Finally the tables are turned on that clichéd saying ‘westernization of the east’.
Yes, it’s true as Hindi has caught the world up in the beauty of the language, to the extent that it is spoken in the oceanic countries as well (Australia, New Zealand) amongst others. And if you’re a numbers person then that is about 500 million people outside India.
Hence, celebrations like Hindi Diwas are an important acknowledgment of the sheer impact and breathtaking force that this language has had upon the world and the country itself. So, if you happen to catch yourself in a conversation with an Indian conversing in Hindi, you might just catch that glimmer of pride in his eye. After all, that is what Hindi Diwas teaches you.
