Hindi not competitor but friend of other Indian languages: Amit Shah

Ahmedabad: "Hindi is not a competitor but a friend of other Indian languages,” said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday

Speaking after inaugurating the 5th All India Rajbhasha Conference in Gandhinagar on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, he added: "Hindi should become not only the language of conversation and administration, but also of science, technology, and justice."

He also said: "There is no conflict between Hindi and other Indian languages.

Shah continued: "Learned men like Dayanand Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kanhaiyalal Munshi, Umashankar Joshi, and many other scholars in Gujarat accepted and promoted Hindi. Gujarati and Hindi have coexisted in Gujarat, which is a fine example of the development of both languages."

He claimed it was because of this coexistence that Gujaratis were accepted everywhere in the country.

Invoking Maratha ruler Shivaji's three principles of "Swaraj (self-rule), Swadharma (faith), and Swabhasha (language)", Shah said they were "closely linked to the nation’s self-respect".

Talking about the AI-powered translation app Bahubhashi Anuvad Sarathi, he said, "By training this software, we will keep enriching it further and, in the coming days, the citizens of this country will be able to communicate in their own language using this."

Speaking further about the digital "Hindi Shabd Sindhu", which started with 51,000 words and has now crossed 7 lakh words, he said it was set to become "largest dictionary among all languages in the world" by 2029.

Sports complex

The home minister also inaugurated the International Sports Complex named after Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in Ahmedabad's Naranpura.

Built for Rs 825 crore, the complex reportedly has facilities to host national and international sporting events.

While inaugurating the facility, Shah hailed it as a landmark addition to the sporting infrastructure in the country.

The complex, spread across 21 acres, is said to be equipped to host international events, including the Asian Aquatics Championships and the World Weightlifting Championships.