Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday while wishing on Hindi Diwas stated that language is the instrument of expression, it cannot be the root.
"The way there is consciousness in life, it lies in language as well," said PM Modi.
Reflecting about his connection with Hindi language, the Prime Minister said, "Sometimes I feel that if I did not know the Hindi language, then how would I have reached out to people or connected with them? I have known it personally that the strength of the Hindi language." This Prime Minister also paid tributes to a few other prominent leaders who played a key role in promoting Hindi though they were not native speakers.
"Figures like Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Tilak, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, and Rajagopalachari-whose mother tongue was not Hindi, yet they worked without respite for the protection, conservation and promotion of the language. This gives us motivation," PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister further said that regional languages have an importance of their own, adding, "The mother tongue would have priceless treasures in each of the states. To knit all of it together? In that process, Hindi can also be one appropriate medium. Working on that can further strengthen the Hindi language, and we can continue our efforts there itself."
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also reacted on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, which marks the day when, on 14 September, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi as the official language.
Speaking on the occasion of completing 75 years of this decision, Rajnath Singh underlined the place of Hindi in the unity of Indian society.
From our freedom fighters to the strategists of the nation, Hindi has been considered a medium for social integration, he said in an X video.
He also appreciated its inclusiveness, saying, "Hindi's specialty is in its abundance. It has assimilated words from numerous languages in an inseparable way. This quality emerges from Indian culture and tradition, wherein every tradition has followed and progressed in unity.".
The defence minister further admitted the efforts made to make Hindi more people-friendly, but at the same time stated that there was much more to be done.
"With the help of the government and societal efforts, Hindi is becoming more people-oriented, but still, much has to be done. We should concentrate on making Hindi not only a language of the government but also a global language," he added.
She also released a message to wish on Hindi Diwas. "We respect all languages. Since 2011, we have made many efforts for the uplift of Hindi-speaking people in the state," she wrote on X.
"This ranges from the beginning of the Hindi Academy to the introduction of Hindi University and several Hindi colleges-these are the achievements we can be proud of," she said on X.
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