Hindi Diwas 2023: PM Narendra Modi, education minister extend wishes; relevance of September 14

NEW DELHI: Hindi Diwas is being celebrated across colleges and schools in the country. People also took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to extend their wishes and show jubilation on the occasion.

Prime minister Narendra Modi tweeted; “Heartiest best wishes to all my family members on Hindi Diwas. I hope Hindi language continuously strengthens the unity and harmony of the nation (translated from Hindi).”

मेरे सभी परिवारजनों को हिन्दी दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। मेरी कामना है कि हिन्दी भाषा राष्ट्रीय एकता और सद्भावना की डोर को निरंतर मजबूत करती रहेगी।

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 14, 2023

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also took to X to extend his wishes. He said, “Hearties best wishes on Hindi Diwas. Hindi is not just a language but also a culture and tradition. Hindi unifies the multilingual culture of India. I express gratitude to people who are working for the progress of Hindi (translated from Hindi).

हिन्दी दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। हिन्दी मात्र एक भाषा ही नहीं संस्कृति और संस्कार भी है। हिन्दी बहुभाषी भारतीय संस्कृति को एकता के सूत्र में बांधती है। हिन्दी भाषा के विकास के लिए समर्पित सभी लोगों का अभिनंदन करता हूँ।

अपनी भाषायी विविधता पर गर्व करते हुए आइए हम सब हिन्दी,… pic.twitter.com/qRJNqnjEQ3

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) September 14, 2023

The #HindiDiwas was the top trend on X. University Grants Commission, Banaras Hindu University, Allahabad University and other educational institutes also extended their wishes on the occasion.

Relevance of September 14

Hindi Diwas is celebrated every year on September 14. It is celebrated on this day as the Munshi-Iyengar formula, which was prepared by two language scholars, Kahniyalal Maniklal Munshi and Narsimha Gopalswamy Iyengar. After three years of deliberation the two came to the conclusion that Hindi should not be adopted as national language but should be given the status of official language.

The formula was adopted in the Constitution of September 14, 1949. Article 351 and 343 of the Constitution mentions the role of Hindi.

As per Census 2021, 43% population of the country consider Hindi as their first language. Versions of Hindi are also spoken in Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.