Hindi originated as a word for the people
who lived on the banks of the Indus River in ancient times. It is located in
India's northwestern region. It is also one of Asia's longest river systems..
Later in time, the word Indus was heard as the people called Hindus, and the
language they spoke was known as Hindi. Hindi also has its roots in Sanskrit.
Initially, there was only Sanskrit, but over time it underwent various changes
in the time frame of 1500 BC – 800 BC. There is a main dialect that flows into
other languages called Khari Boli. It was this dialect that laid the foundation
for classical Hindustani popularity. Today's Urdu and Hindi arose from Khari
Boli.
As such, India is a diverse, multilingual
country with its own culture, politics and historical significance. Hindi is
the most widely spoken language in our country. This is why Mahatma Gandhi said
that Hindi is our public language.
Bihar, which followed Urdu as its official
later in 1881, became the first state to declare Hindi as its official
language. Finally, on September 14, 1949, Hindi was accepted as the official
language of India.
This day is also declared as Hindi Diwas as
it is an attempt to pay homage to Beohar Rajendra Simha. He is recognized for
his efforts to make Hindi an official language of India.
No one has decided on the way to celebrate
Hindi Diwas. Many literary events and cultural programs are organized on this
important day. Themes of wearing Indian dress are decided and events are
organized in schools, colleges etc. Schools also hold various competitions such
as debates, essays and exhibitions. Various awards are also distributed for the
promotion of Hindi like Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar and Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar
are distributed under public units, ministries, nationalized banks and also
among citizens.
Facts about Hindi, our mother tongue:
It is the fourth most widely spoken
language after Mandarin, Spanish and English.
It is written in the Devanagari script,
which originated in the 11th century.
Oxford dictionary has various Hindi words
like Kebab, Papad, Bada Din, Bacha, Surya Namaskar, Bapu, Dadagiri and many
more.
Other Hindi speaking countries are
Pakistan, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Suriname, Tobago, Fiji,
Guyana and Trinidad.
Hindi is our mother tongue and it is also a
symbol of freedom which was won for all of us by our freedom fighters after a
long legendary struggle. It is time for us to wake up and realize that our
language and our identity are being unconsciously eliminated due to our
carelessness and the growing influence of westernization. We are nothing
without our cultural identity, hence Hindi Diwas is an attempt to rekindle the
essence of Hindi in our lives. It is time we value our own culture and
language. Celebrate Hindi Diwas with your loved ones and spread knowledge about
our mother tongue.
