Hindi is not only our mother tongue but it is also our national identity. Hindi Diwas is celebrated all over the world every year on September 14. Special events are organised in schools, colleges and educational institutions. However, even if number of Hindi speaking people is high and the mother tongue of the country is Hindi, it could not get the status of national language. But why is Hindi Day celebrated on September 14?
Why is Hindi Day celebrated only on September 14?
There are two reasons for celebrating Hindi Diwas on September 14. On 14 September 1949, after a long discussion, Hindi in Devanagari script was declared the official language of the country. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru himself had selected this date for a special reason to celebrate Hindi Diwas as it is also birth anniversary of a famous Hindi poet Rajendra Singh. Celebration of Hindi Diwas for the first time started in 1953. This day was celebrated on the suggestion of National Language Promotion Committee. To make this day special and to increase the importance of Hindi, celebration of Hindi Diwas was started. Many scholars have played an important role in making Hindi the official language.
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Why Hindi could not become the national language?
Mahatma Gandhi had called Hindi language a dialect of the masses. He wanted to make Hindi the national language. In the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan organised in 1918, he had demanded to make Hindi the national language. After independence in 1947, discussions went on for a long time, after which September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly decided to make Hindi the official language. But many people of many South Indian states were unhappy with this decision. People's argument was that if everyone has to speak Hindi then what is the meaning of independence. In such a situation, due to the displeasure of many people, Hindi could not get the status of national language, although being the official language, people and the government use it in their work.
There is no national language of India as per the constitution, Hindi and English both are considered the official language of India. As per Article 343 of the Indian constitution the official language of the country shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.
