Hindi is heart and soul of our freedom struggle : Shah

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah graced the Hindi Divas Samaroh 2019 as Chief Guest on September 14, 2019, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Also present on the dais were Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and  G Kishan Reddy, as well as Secretary and Joint Secretary, Department of Official Language.

Shah said that while unity in diversity is India’s defining trait, a common language is needed as a culturally unifying factor. He remarked that even Gandhi ji and Sardar Patel, who forged a united India, appealed to people to accept Hindi as the national language. Shah lauded the work done by the Department of Official Language in popularising Hindi, and appealed to citizens to work towards making Hindi the most widely used language in the world.

Shah appealed to all to get connected with Hindi. He noted the unanimous consensus for Hindi as national language in the Constituent Assembly in spite of the Assembly’s sheer diversity. He said that this decision was an important factor in ensuring cultural unity of India. Referring to the linguistic richness of India, he said that the nation was home to 122 languages and more than 19,500 dialects.

He said that a country that forgets its language kills its cultural existence. Language connects us to the roots of the nation. Addressing the youth of India, Shah called for introspection and said that if we lose our language, we will be cut off from our culture. He asserted that the richest languages of the world belong to India.  He called for greater use of the national language in all aspects of life. He said that only when we understand the importance of Hindi, can it thrive and prosper.

Shah said that next year, the Hindi Divas Samaroh would be a public programme, as Hindi belongs to the people. He said that the Government would take Hindi Divas outside Delhi, and would celebrate a Hindi Saptah across the country. He called Hindi the heart and soul of the freedom struggle.

He recalled Vinoba Bhave’s love for Hindi and Gandhi ji’s assertion that a nation is mute without its national language. He said that our power to express our culture will die in the absence of our national language. Quoting Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya, Shah said that without Hindi, democracy is not possible in India. The language of the state should be that which people can understand.

Shah also remembered former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the first Minister of External Affairs to give a speech in Hindi at the United Nations in 1977. He hailed this as a step to break the inferiority complex of Indians with respect to Hindi. He also hailed former Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj’s contribution to the global growth of Hindi, who encouraged the UN to use more Hindi, including on Social Media. This eventually led to the Hindi Twitter account of the UN, according to a PIB release.

Shah launched the E-Saral Hindi Vakya Kosh and E-Maha Shabda Kosh Mobile App, both initiatives of the Department of Official Language that aim to harness information technology for the growth of Hindi. He awarded Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar and Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar to government departments and public sector units respectively for their contribution to Hindi.

Praising  PM Narendra Modi’s commitment to Hindi, Shah noted that  wherever the Prime Minister addresses expatriates, he speaks in Hindi. Shah said that the Prime Minister addressed even the  UN General Assembly and the World Economic Forum in Davos in Hindi.