World Hindi Day 2024: World Hindi Diwas is an annual celebration that pays tribute to the richness and cultural significance of the Hindi language. Observed every year on January 10, this day holds special importance in recognising Hindi's global influence and its vital role in connecting diverse communities. Hindi is one of the most spoken languages in thenorthern part of the country and ranks as the third-most spoken language in the world.
History:
It was a historic moment when Hindi was spoken for the first time in the United Nations General Assembly in 1949. Later, in 2006, the first Vishwa Hindi Diwas was observed under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Since then, January 10 has been universally recognised as World Hindi Day.
Significance:
Known as the official language of the Indian Government and one of India's official languages alongside English, Hindi holds a pivotal role in cultural and linguistic landscapes globally. Celebrating World Hindi Day involves promoting the language and encouraging its inclusion in speeches, performances, music, and theatrical arts.
Interesting Facts About Hindi:
Here are some interesting facts about te language that we all must know about:
- The term ‘Hindi’ has been derived from the Persian word ‘Hind’ which means the ‘land of Sindhu river’.
- Hindi is spoken in atleast 20 countries around the world apart from India including Nepal, Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa, Uganda, Singapore, UAE and many others.
- Bihar was the first Indian state to adopt Hindi as its official language in 1881.
- Literary Hindi, which is written in the Devanagari script, has been strongly influenced by Sanskrit. Its standard form is based on the Khari Boli dialect, found to the north and east of Delhi.
- Almost every possible sound in the world can be written in Hindi with the use of the alphabet, while English needs supplementary symbols.
- The word 'Swadeshi' has been incorporated in the Oxford Dictionary. Apart from that many Hindi words have been added to the Oxford dictionary, like Aadhaar.