14 September: Hindi Divas

Hindi Divas (or Hindi day) is an annual day which is observed every year on 14 September all over India since 1953, to celebrate the popularity of Hindi as an official language of India. Although the Hindi Day is mostly observed by Government of India, but many private organizations and voluntary groups also celebrate the day.

Hindi is the forth most spoken language in world. As per latest figures, 43.63% people in India currently speak Hindi language. Section 343 (1) of Constitution of India, in reference of Hindi as official language, reads- The official language of Union shall be Hindi and script Devanagari. The form of the marks used for official purposes of Union will be international form.

About Hindi Day

Why 14 September? It is because on this day in 1949, Constituent Assembly of India had adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as official language of Republic of India. 14 September 1949 also marks 50th birthday of Beohar Rajendra Simha who was among stalwarts who rallied and lobbied pan-India in favor of Hindi. Their efforts came to fruition following adoption of Hindi as official language and this decision was ratified by Constitution of India that came into effect on 26 January 1950.

Celebrations: Many programs are organized across the country on the occasion of Hindi Day. Debate competitions, poetry recitations, Essay copies, plays, and exhibitions are organized in schools, colleges, and educational institutions.

Hindi fortnightly is organized in government offices i.e. from September 14 to next 15 days, various competitions are held in government office. Also, government offices that do good work for development of Hindi throughout the year are also honored with prizes.

Every year on occasion of Hindi Diwas, President of India presents Rajbhasha awards to people for their contribution towards the Hindi language, at a ceremony in Delhi.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2019