UN Pledges To Strengthen Hindi Communication With New WhatsApp Channel

In a notable move to engage with Hindi-speaking audiences worldwide, the United Nations (UN) announced plans to launch a dedicated WhatsApp channel for Hindi communication.

Ian Phillips, Director of News and Media at the UN, made the announcement during the Hindi Diwas celebrations on Friday. He emphasized the organization’s commitment to using Hindi as a key medium for communicating its global priorities.

Phillips stated, “We are committed to promoting the priorities of the UN and communicating with target audiences in Hindi, whether it’s on peace, human rights, sustainable development, climate or gender.”

“In a world where artificial intelligence is gaining ground, India has a major role to play, and the Hindi language remains a key channel to communicate with millions who represent the next generation of leaders,” he further added.

A delegation of Indian Members of Parliament, led by Birendra Prasad Baishya, attended the Hindi Diwas event in New York, along with diplomats from several countries who shared their connections to India’s linguistic heritage.

India’s UN Representative Praises Hindi For Uniting Diverse Populations

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, praised Hindi for its role in uniting India’s diverse population. He highlighted how Hindi bridges gaps in a multicultural, multi-ethnic country, asserting that language is a powerful tool in shaping cultural and social identities.

He asserted, “Language plays a determining role in shaping the cultural and social identity of people in a diverse country like India and Hindi becomes an expression and a vehicle of cultural heritage and unity.”

“The Hindi language played an unprecedented role in uniting the country during the difficult days of India’s freedom struggle and as a bridge language, played a central role in carrying forward the spirit of the freedom struggle to every corner of the country,” P Harish further added.

Hindi, the third-most spoken language in the world after English and Mandarin, has spread far beyond India’s borders. Harish noted that India’s diaspora, along with the global prominence of Bollywood and classical Indian literature, further reinforces the language’s global reach.

Diplomats Highlight Hindi’s Significance In Their Societies

Diplomats from countries like Mauritius, Nepal, Guyana, and Suriname shared their own experiences of Hindi’s significance in their societies.

Mauritius’s Permanent Representative, Jagdish Koonjul, emphasized that in his country’s multiracial, multicultural, and multilingual society, “Hindi holds a place of profound significance.”

The indentured laborers carried India “in their hearts as a precious link to their homeland, India, (and) despite numerous challenges, Hindi thrived in the country, becoming not just a means of communication but a bridge to preserve tradition.”

Similarly, Nepal’s Permanent Representative, Lok Bahadur Thapa, reflected on the shared linguistic heritage of Hindi and Nepali, both stemming from Sanskrit and written in the Devanagari script.

In Guyana, where Hindi is intertwined with the local culture, Deputy Permanent Representative Trishala Simantini Persaud noted how the descendants of Indian indentured laborers continue to preserve Hindi traditions, even if the language itself is not widely spoken.

Suriname’s Charge d’Affaires, Varsha Sujata Ramratan, shared that Hindi remains a popular and respected language in her country, especially among communities participating in religious rituals.

To mark the occasion, India’s Permanent Mission to the UN organized a Hindi competition featuring categories for essay writing, poetry, and recitals, with prizes awarded to the winners.

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