“After English, Mandarin, and Spanish, Hindi is the world’s fourth most spoken language.”
Every year on January 10th, World Hindi Day is commemorated. The day commemorates the first World Hindi Conference, which took place in 1975. Indira Gandhi, the then-prime minister of India, opened the first World Hindi Conference. In the year 2006, the inaugural World Hindi Day was observed.
WORLD HINDI DAY: SIGNIFICANCE OF HINDI LANGUAGE
Hindi is a very old language with a straight line of descent from Sanskrit. As such, it is a part of one of the world’s oldest religious and literary traditions — traditions that, whether we realise it or not, have impacted other religions and works of art.
As a result, Hindi is extremely significant in the development of various cultures and is well worth not only honouring but also understanding. Anyone interested in world history or languages might benefit from doing some in-depth research on the subject of Hindi.
India is also a rising global power. Although India continues to deal with poverty on a large scale, there are signs that it is on its way to becoming an economic superpower.
If nothing else, India’s large population makes it a market that no global company can afford to ignore, and the country has made it obvious that it wants to become a regional giant.
All of this means that India will continue to have a larger and larger impact on the world, both politically and artistically, making Hindi a more important language as time goes on.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE HINDI LANGUAGE
Let have a look at the lesser-known facts related to our mother-tongue, the Hindi Language
- In terms of linguistics, Hindi is a member of the Indo-Iranian sub-family of the Indo-European language family.
- Hindi is derived from the Persian word Hind, which means “country of the Indus River.” One of seven Indian languages that can be used to create web URLs is Hindi.
- Around 430 million individuals around the world speak Hindi as their native language.
- Hindi has a fairly tight gender structure. In Hindi, all nouns have genders, and adjectives and verbs change depending on gender.
- The language is also spoken in Nepal, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Fiji, and Mauritius, in addition to India. Devanagari is the same script used in Hindi and Nepalese.
- Hindi is the source of several English terms, including chutney, loot, bungalow, guru, jungle, karma, and yoga.
- The earliest form of Hindi was known as ‘Apabhramsa,’ a Sanskrit offshoot. Kalidas wrote Vikramorvashiyam in Apabhramsa about 400 AD.
- Turkish, Arabic, Persian, English, and Dravidian (ancient South Indian) languages have all affected and improved Hindi.
- Hindi is a Sanskrit descendent. It uses the same terminology and grammar as the old language.
- Prem Sagar is thought to be the first Hindi novel to be published. Lalloo Lal published the book, which told Krishna stories.
- The first time World Hindi Day was celebrated was in 2006.
- By 2050, the Power Language Index predicts that Hindi will be one of the world’s most powerful languages.
- The Hindi alphabet has a distinct sound for each letter. Hindi words are spoken precisely as they appear on the page.
- Companies in South Asia and around the world are actively recruiting people who can speak and write Hindi fluently. Being able to speak and write Hindi will be quite beneficial to you.
- Because of the increased demand for Hindi speakers, several governments and agencies around the world have begun to give scholarships and other possibilities to persons who are interested in learning Hindi.
Key Takeaways
Finally, some Westerners may be surprised to learn that India has one of the world’s largest and most successful film industries. Indian cinema has a particular flavour and has made numerous contributions to the film industry. Any student of world culture – or cinema in general – owes it to themselves to see some of these outstanding masterpieces. Some understanding of Hindi would be beneficial to properly enjoy them in their original splendour.
Knowing Hindi opens the door to thousands of films, many of which have had a huge cultural impact in India and abroad.
Think of Hindi the next time you read another story about India or hear about Pakistani-Indian relations. Hindi is one of our oldest and most complicated languages, and it is still relevant and evolving today.
Also published on Medium.