HINDI DIWAS

September 14 is celebrated as Hindi Diwas, a day dedicated to marking the significance of Hindi as the official language of India. This observance honours the decision made by the Constituent Assembly of India to designate Hindi as the official language of the Union government.

2. Hindi Language

• Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in the world and is written in Devanagari script. The language got its name from the Persian word 'Hind' - meaning 'land of the Indus River', and is a descendant of Sanskrit.
• Turk invaders in the early 11^th century named the language of the region Hindi, 'language of the land of the Indus River'.
• It is the official language of India, English being the other official language.
• Hindi is also spoken in some countries outside India, such as in Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Nepal.
• Hindi in its present form emerged through different stages, during which it was known by other names. The earliest form of old Hindi was Apabhramsa. In 400 AD Kalidas wrote a romantic play in Apabhramsa called Vikramorvashiyam.
• The modern Devanagari script came into existence in the 11th century.

3. Debates in the Constituent Assembly

The Constituent Assembly debated the issue of the official language for three days in September 1949. There were many different views expressed, with some members arguing for Hindi, some for Hindustani, and some for English.

1. RV Dhulekar from Uttar Pradesh argued that Hindi should be the national language, not just the official language. He said that the nation was not ready to wait for 15 years to start reading the Vedas and the Upanishads, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and Lilavati and other mathematical works in Hindi.
2. Frank Anthony from Central Provinces and Berar made a case for English. He said that English was one of the greatest assets that India possessed in the international field and that it should not be given up.
3. Pandit Lakshmi Kanta Maitra from Bengal argued that Sanskrit should be the national and official language. He said that Sanskrit was the revered grandmother of languages of the world and that it was still alive with full vigour and vitality.
4. Qazi Syed Karimuddin from Central Provinces and Berar argued that Hindustani should be the national language. He said that Mahatma Gandhi had championed Hindustani and that it was the only language in which both Hindus and Muslims could easily express themselves.
5. TA Ramalingam Chettiar from Madras said that they had agreed to Hindi simply because it was spoken by a large number of people in the country. He argued that Hindi could not be the national language, because it was no more national to them than English or any other language.

4. Munshi-Ayyangar Formula

• In the end, the Constituent Assembly adopted the Munshi-Ayyangar formula as a compromise solution.
• This formula said that Hindi would be the official language of the Union government, but English would continue to be used for all official purposes of the Union for 15 years.

6. Conclusion

• The debate on the official language of India was a long and heated one, with different members of the Constituent Assembly expressing different views.
• The Munshi-Ayyangar formula was eventually adopted as a compromise solution, making Hindi the official language of the Union government, but also allowing English to continue to be used for all official purposes for fifteen years. The debate over the official language of India continues to this day.