Hindi: From civilisational root to global connector language
Languages do not merely enable communication; they carry the memory, struggles, and aspirations of a civilisation. Hindi, one of the world's most widely spoken languages today, is not a product of a single era but the result of a long historical evolution shaped by cultural exchange, resistance, creativity, and adaptation. World Hindi Day, observed annually on January 10, marks this extraordinary journey and commemorates the First World Hindi Conference held in Nagpur in 1975, which formally positioned Hindi on the global linguistic map.
The evolution of Hindi can be traced back to Sanskrit, the classical language of ancient India. Over centuries, Sanskrit interacted with Prakrit and Apabhramsha, gradually giving rise to regional dialects that would later consolidate into modern Hindi. Medieval Bhakti poets such as Kabir, Tulsidas, and Surdas used early forms of Hindi to reach the common people, breaking linguistic elitism and transforming language into a democratic force. Hindi, therefore, evolved not as a courtly imposition but as a people's language-organic, inclusive, and adaptive.
During India's freedom struggle, Hindi assumed an even more decisive role. In a colonised nation divided by geography, caste, and language, Hindi emerged as a medium of mass mobilisation. Mahatma Gandhi believed that political freedom was incomplete without linguistic self-respect and consistently advocated the use of Indian languages, especially Hindi, in public life. Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Ram Manohar Lohia used Hindi to articulate nationalist ideas, ensuring that the freedom movement was not restricted to English-speaking elites but resonated across villages and towns.
Parallelly, Hindi literature became a mirror to India's social conscience. Writers such as Munshi Premchand exposed social inequality and rural distress; Mahadevi Verma and Jaishankar Prasad enriched Hindi with philosophical depth and lyrical elegance; Harivansh Rai Bachchan brought emotional universality to modern Hindi poetry. Through literature, Hindi matured into a language capable of expressing protest, romance, spirituality, and modernity.
Importantly, Hindi's growth has never been confined to India alone. Foreign scholars and writers have played a crucial role in shaping its global identity. Max Müller, the German Indologist, stressed the civilisational value of Indian languages in understanding world history. Russian scholars translated Premchand and other Hindi writers during the 20th century, while universities in Japan, China, South Korea, Europe, and the United States actively teach Hindi today. This global academic engagement underscores that Hindi is not merely a regional language but a language of international cultural relevance.
The importance of World Hindi Day lies in recognising this global journey while reaffirming Hindi's role at home. In a country as linguistically diverse as India, Hindi functions as a link language, facilitating communication without erasing regional identities. The experiences of countries like China and South Korea offer a valuable parallel-despite long periods of Western influence, their native languages remain central to governance, education, and cultural expression. India's linguistic plurality similarly proves that promoting Hindi need not come at the cost of other languages; coexistence, not competition, is the true strength of a multilingual nation.
As India emerges as a global economic and cultural force, Hindi stands at a critical juncture. Its future lies not in symbolic celebration alone, but in meaningful integration-across technology, education, diplomacy, cinema, and digital platforms. World Hindi Day is therefore not just a tribute to the past, but a call to action: to ensure that Hindi continues to evolve as a language of ideas, inclusion, and global dialogue-rooted in India's civilisation, yet confidently conversing with the world.
The writer is an independent consultant; views are personal
