Amit Shah Declares Hindi A Friend To Indian Languages At Hindi Diwas 2025

Gandhinagar marked the observance of Hindi Diwas 2025 on Sunday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the celebrations and the Fifth All India Rajbhasha Conference at Mahatma Mandir.

In his keynote address, Shah stressed that Hindi should be considered a ‘friend’ rather than a rival to other Indian languages.

He noted that moving the conference from Delhi to various states over the past five years had strengthened communication between Hindi and regional languages, offering a platform to share experiences and perspectives.

Tracing Hindi’s acceptance in Gujarat, Shah invoked figures such as Dayanand Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kanhaiyalal Munshi and Umashankar Joshi.

He said the coexistence of Gujarati and Hindi had provided children with a wider national reach and opportunities.

Calling the current edition of the Rajbhasha Conference a landmark, he highlighted its ability to inspire and energise language enthusiasts across the country.

Expanding Hindi’s Scope in New Sectors

Shah urged that Hindi move beyond conversation and administration to become the language of science, technology and justice.

Launching the ‘Saarthi’ translation system, he said it translates government correspondence from any state into Hindi and vice versa, enabling replies in regional languages.

He also highlighted that the upgraded Digital Hindi Shabd Sindhu dictionary now contains about seven lakh words and will become the world’s largest by 2029.

In a symbolic gesture, the Union Minister distributed AI-enabled smart glasses to visually impaired citizens, describing how the device would help them read in their mother tongue, recognise faces, identify currency and access voice-assistant support.

Appealing to parents nationwide, Shah cited research showing that children’s capacity to think and analyse increases by nearly 30 per cent when they learn in their mother tongue.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also addressed the event, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for creating a cultural bridge through languages and for advancing the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.

Shah linked respect for Hindi with respect for all Indian languages, describing Gujarat as a land of confluence where different traditions and languages thrive.

“On this Hindi Diwas, let us pledge to harness the strength of all languages, including Hindi, to build an Atmanirbhar, developed and cultured India,” he said.

The event featured the release of special publications on Hindi and Indian languages, awards to institutions and writers for contributions to Rajbhasha, and participation from more than 6,000 officials and delegates.

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