Hindi Diwas 2024: What is it and why is it celebrated?

On September 14, 1949, Hindi was given “official” status in the Republic of India

This development was a result of a compromise between KM Munshi and N Gopalaswami Ayyangar, two members of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution after three years of debate, called the Munshi-Ayyangar Formula

Three terms were agreed upon in the formula – i) Hindi would be the official language of the Federal Government, ii) English would be an associate official language of the State for 15 years until the development of Hindi's former lexicon, and iii) Hindu-Arabic numerals would be used as India’s official numerals

Incidentally, the day also marks the birth of Beohar Rajendra Simha, a renowned Hindi writer and advocate for Hindi as India’s official language

With over 350 million speakers, Hindi was recorded as the fastest-growing language in India in a 2021 study

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, the Central Government confers two awards, the Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar and the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar every year to individuals who excel in the field of Hindi literature

Schools, colleges, and other educational institutions in India also mark Hindi Diwas, commemorating the occasion with cultural events