Hindi Diwas - 14 September

Table of Contents

• 1. Hindi Diwas: 14 September
  • 1.1 How Hindi Diwas Came into Being
  • 1.2 The purpose of Hindi Diwas
  • 1.3 How Hindi Diwas Is Different from World Hindi Day

Hindi Diwas: 14 September

I had shared a post on Sanskrit Diwas. There is another language day in India, which is Hindi Diwas. While Sanskrit Diwas does not have a fixed day and falls on the same day as the full moon in the Hindu month of Sharad, Hindi Diwas has a fixed date – 14^th September.

Every year, on 14th September, offices, schools and government departments across India observe Hindi Diwas. Speeches are delivered, competitions are organised, and departments of various ministries hold their annual functions. But how many of us actually know why this particular date was chosen, and why India needs both a "Hindi Diwas" and a separate "World Hindi Day"?

How Hindi Diwas Came into Being

To appreciate the significance of 14th September, we have to go back to the framing of our Constitution. After Independence, the Constituent Assembly of India was faced with a rather ticklish question: which language, or languages, should the Republic adopt for official use?

The debate dragged on for nearly three years, with opinions on all sides. Some members pushed for Hindi to be declared the national language, while representatives from the non-Hindi speaking states, quite understandably, were apprehensive about any single regional language being imposed over the others.

Ultimately, a middle path was worked out. This compromise came to be known as the Munshi-Ayyangar formula, named after two members of the Drafting Committee, K.M. Munshi and N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, who worked out the wording that satisfied both camps. On 14th September 1949, the Constituent Assembly gave its approval to this formula, and it later formed the basis of Articles 343 to 351 of our Constitution.

The formula did not declare Hindi as the "national language" of India, which is a common misconception even today. Instead, it gave Hindi written in the Devanagari script, the status of the official language of the Union, alongside English, which was to continue for official purposes for a transitional period.

It was some years later, in 1953, that the day began to be formally observed.

The purpose of Hindi Diwas:

1. At the most basic level, the day is a reminder of the decision of 1949, when, after prolonged deliberation, the framers of our Constitution reached a consensus that could hold together a linguistically diverse nation.

2. Hindi Diwas functions are used as a platform to felicitate employees and departments that have done exemplary work in promoting Hindi in their official correspondence.

3. The day also honours the numerous linguists, writers and freedom fighters who worked tirelessly for the promotion of Hindi, such as Beohar Rajendra Simha, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Kaka Kalelkar, Maithili Sharan Gupt and Seth Govind Das, among others. Poetry recitations, Hindi essay writing, and debate competitions are organised in their honour.

4. With over 500 million people counting Hindi as their first language, and it being widely understood as a link language across the country, Hindi Diwas is an occasion to strengthen the sense of national integration, while, at least in official messaging, being careful to emphasise that this is not meant to be at the cost of India's other languages.

How Hindi Diwas Is Different from World Hindi Day

This is where a lot of confusion happens, and quite understandably so, because both days are, on the face of it, celebrating the very same language. However, their origin, purpose and audience are quite different.

Aspect	Hindi Diwas	World Hindi Day (Vishwa Hindi Diwas)
Date	14th September	10th January
Origin	Marks the Constituent Assembly's adoption of Hindi as an official language in 1949	Marks the inauguration of the first World Hindi Conference, held in Nagpur on 10th January 1975
Nodal Ministry	Ministry of Home Affairs (Department of Official Language)	Ministry of External Affairs
Scope	Domestic — focused on promoting Hindi within India's official and administrative machinery	International — focused on promoting Hindi as a global language, through Indian missions and diaspora communities abroad
Year of inception	1953 onward	Formally declared for annual observance in 2006, though the first World Hindi Conference itself took place in 1975

At the end of the day, whether it is 14th September or 10th January, both occasions serve the same larger cause: keeping Hindi alive, relevant, and thriving, both at home and abroad. For a country as linguistically diverse as ours, such occasions are a reminder to remember our shared linguistic heritage, without losing sight of the many other beautiful languages that make up the Indian identity.

Happy Hindi Diwas!