Amit Shah's appeal on Hindi Diwas: Respect all Indian languages

He also said that the greatest strength of India's languages is that they have provided every class and community with an opportunity for expression.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday extended Hindi Diwas greetings, and asked everyone to respect all Indian languages and move forward towards a self-reliant, self-confident and developed country.

Shah noted that from the heights of the Himalayas to the vast beaches of the South, from the desert to the rugged forests and village 'chaupalas', languages have shown the way to a man in every situation to stay organised and move forward unitedly through communication and expression.

"Our country is fundamentally a language-oriented nation. Our languages have been a powerful medium for carrying forward culture, history, traditions, knowledge, science, philosophy, and spirituality from generation to generation," he said in a message on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.

Extending Hindi Diwas greetings, the home minister said he firmly believed that languages, by becoming companions of one another and bound in the thread of unity, were moving forward together.

"On this occasion of Hindi Diwas, let us respect all Indian languages, including Hindi, and move forward towards a self-reliant, self-confident and developed India," he said.

Shah said "walk together, think together, and speak together" has been the core mantra of India's linguistic-cultural consciousness.

He said the songs of Bihu in the Northeast, the voice of Oviyalu in Tamil Nadu, the songs of Lohri in Punjab, the verses of Vidyapati in Bihar, the hymns of Baul saints in Bengal, Kajri songs, and Bhikari Thakur's 'Bidesia' - all these have kept the country's culture vibrant and welfare-oriented.

The home minister said Saint Thiruvalluvar's verses are sung with as much devotion in the South as he is read with interest in the North and Krishnadevaraya was as popular in the South as he was in the North.

"The patriotic compositions of Subramania Bharati ignite national pride in the youth of every region. Goswami Tulsidas is revered by every Indian, and the couplets of Saint Kabir are found in translations in Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam," he said.

Shah said Surdas's poetry remains prevalent in the temples and musical traditions of South India even today.

"Srimanta Sankardeva and Mahapurush Madhavdeva of Assam are known to every Vaishnav, and Bhupen Hazarika's songs are hummed even by the youth of Haryana," he said.

The home minister said even during the difficult period of slavery, Indian languages became the voice of resistance.

"Our languages played a significant role in making the freedom movement a nationwide endeavour. Our freedom fighters connected the languages of the regions and villages with the freedom struggle," he said.

Along with Hindi, the home minister said, poets, litterateurs, and playwrights of all Indian languages strengthened the resolve for independence among every age group, class, and community through folk languages, folktales, folk songs, and folk plays.

"Slogans like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Hind' emerged from our linguistic consciousness and became symbols of pride for independent India," he said.

Shah said when the country gained independence, the Constitution makers extensively deliberated on the potential and importance of languages and, on September 14, 1949, adopted Hindi written in the Devanagari script as the official language.

He said Article 351 of the Constitution assigns the responsibility of promoting and spreading Hindi to make it an effective medium of India's composite culture.

"In the last decade, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a golden era of renaissance for Indian languages and culture has emerged. Whether it is the platform of the United Nations, the G-20 summit, or addressing the SCO, Modi Ji has enhanced the pride of Indian languages by communicating in Hindi and other Indian languages," he said.

In the 'Amrit Kaal' of independence, the home minister said, Modi has taken the 'Panch Pran' (five pledges) to free the country from the symbols of slavery, in which languages have a significant role.

"We must adopt Indian languages as the medium of communication and interaction," he said.

Shah said the official language Hindi has completed 76 glorious years and the Department of Official Language, having completed 50 golden years of its establishment, has done remarkable work in making Hindi the language of the masses and public consciousness.

"Since 2014, the use of Hindi in government work has been continuously promoted," he said.

The home minister said in 2024, on Hindi Diwas, the Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag was established with an aim of ensuring seamless translation between all major Indian languages.

"Our goal is to ensure that Hindi and other Indian languages become not just a medium of communication but the cornerstone of technology, science, justice, education, and administration," he said.

Shah said in this era of Digital India, e-Governance, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, the government is developing Indian languages as future capable, relevant and a driving force in making India a leader in global technological competition.

"Mithila's poet Vidyapati ji rightly said: 'Desil bayana sab jan mittha' means, one's own language is the sweetest," he said.