Hindi not a rival, but a friend to Indian languages: HM Amit Shah (Ld)

Gandhinagar, Sep 14 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Hindi Diwas 2025 and the fifth All India Rajbhasha Conference at Mahatma Mandir here on Sunday, declaring that Hindi should be seen as a "friend" of Indian languages rather than a competitor.

"Hindi is not a rival to other Indian languages but a companion language. Over the past five years, hosting this conference in different states instead of Delhi has given us a unique opportunity to strengthen communication between Hindi and regional languages," the Union Minister said in his keynote address.

Tracing the roots of Hindi's acceptance in Gujarat, Union Minister Shah noted: "From Dayanand Saraswati to Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kanhaiyalal Munshi, and Umashankar Joshi, many visionaries from Gujarat adopted Hindi and promoted it. The coexistence of Gujarati and Hindi has given our children a wider reach at the national level."

He added that the Rajbhasha Conference held outside Delhi for the fifth time is a landmark, saying, "It provides new perspectives, energy, and inspiration to lovers of language."

Union Minister Shah called for expanding Hindi's scope.

"Hindi should not remain confined to conversation and administration -- it must also become the language of science, technology, and justice," he said.

He launched 'Saarthi', a translation system that allows government correspondence from any state to be translated into Hindi and vice-versa, enabling replies in regional languages.

Highlighting the progress of the Digital Hindi Shabd Sindhu, Union Minister Shah said, "This upgraded dictionary now has about seven lakh words and by 2029, it will become the world's largest dictionary across all languages."

In a symbolic gesture, the Union Minister distributed AI-enabled smart glasses to visually impaired citizens.

"With these glasses, one can read in their mother tongue, recognise familiar faces, identify currency, and access voice-assistant support. For the visually impaired, this will work like a personal companion," he said.

Union Minister Shah also appealed to parents across the country and said: "Speak to your children in their mother tongue. Psychologists and scholars have shown that when children read, think, analyse, and make decisions in their own language, their capacity increases by nearly 30 per cent."

Extending greetings on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for uniting India through languages and culture.

"After Independence, Sardar Patel integrated princely states to create an Akhand Bharat. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built a cultural bridge of languages and created the vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'," Union Minister Shah said.

He added: "Language is inseparable from culture. Gujarat is a land of confluence -- where different languages and traditions coexist. From a developed Gujarat, we are committed to contributing to a developed India. Respecting Hindi also means respecting the pride of all other Indian languages."

Chief Minister Patel urged citizens to adopt regional languages along with Hindi in daily life and lauded initiatives such as the Digital Hindi Shabd Sindhu.

"On this Hindi Diwas, let us pledge to harness the strength of all languages—including Hindi—to build an Atmanirbhar, developed and cultured India," Union Minister Shah said.

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

--IANS

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