Coexistence of Gujarati and Hindi has significantly expanded national reach of Gujarati children: Amit Shah

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], 14 September (ANI): On the occasion of Hindi Diwas 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the coexistence of Gujarati and Hindi has significantly expanded the national reach of Gujarati children.
Shah presided over the inaugural ceremony of 'Hindi Diwas 2025' and Fifth Akhil Bhartiya Rajbhasha Sammelan at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, the Chief Minister's office said in a press release.
The BJP leader said that from the very beginning, eminent personalities from Gujarat--including Dayanand Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kanhaiyalal Munshi, Umashankar Joshi, and others--embraced and promoted the Hindi language.
"These visionary leaders stressed the importance of dialogue among Indian languages and the promotion of Hindi in every state. The coexistence of Gujarati and Hindi has significantly expanded the national reach of Gujarati children," Shah said.

Addressing the gathering, Shah welcomed Hindi language enthusiasts and stated that "Hindi is not a rival to other Indian languages, but a friend."
He said that while the Akhil Bhartiya Rajbhasha Sammelan was previously held at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi, it has been organised across different parts of the country over the past five years. This shift has provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen communication between the Rajbhasha (official language) and all other Indian languages.
He further added that this is the fifth Akhil Bhartiya Rajbhasha Sammelan to be organised outside Delhi, offering language enthusiasts a fresh vision, energy, and inspiration. "Several publications were also released during today's session, showcasing our love for language and promoting its diverse applications."
The Minister further said that Hindi should not only be a medium of communication and administration but also a language of science, technology, and justice.
Referring to "Sarathi," Shah said that it is a translation system designed to translate Hindi into all recognised Indian languages seamlessly. This system enables the Union Home Ministry to respond in the respective local language to any correspondence received from states across the country.
The Minister highlighted that during the struggle for Swaraj, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj emphasised three principles--Swaraj (self-rule), Swadharma (one's duty/faith), and Swabhasha (mother tongue).These, he noted, are interlinked and integral to the nation's self-respect.
He further recalled that Mahatma Gandhi, as President of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, made significant contributions to the development of the Gujarati dictionary, recognising that no society can stand with dignity before the world unless its language is strong.
He also spoke about the digital "Hindi Shabd Sindhu," a dictionary containing nearly seven lakh words, which is projected to become the largest dictionary in the world by 2029.
Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken significant initiatives for the Divyangs. As part of these efforts, today, five visually impaired individuals received AI-powered glasses. Explaining their features, the minister noted that these glasses will enable visually impaired users to read documents in their mother tongue, recognise familiar faces, and identify currency using a voice assistant system. In this way, the glasses will act as a personal assistant for each user.
Shah urged parents nationwide to communicate with their children in their mother tongue and to guide them in speaking, reading, and writing it. Research by linguists and psychologists has shown that when a child reads, thinks, speaks, analyses, reasons, and makes decisions in their native language, their abilities can improve by up to 30 per cent.
He said that every citizen should cherish their native language while supporting the national language.
"Sanskrit has bestowed upon us a vast treasure of knowledge, and Hindi has helped transmit this knowledge to every home, while regional languages have ensured it reaches each individual," he said.
The Prime Minister has undertaken remarkable initiatives to strengthen regional languages through various technological means. In line with this, the Ministry of Home Affairs has established Bhartiya Bhasha Anubhag under the Department of Official Language, which not only promotes official languages but also works to reinforce all Indian languages nationwide. Official language committees have been set up in nearly 539 cities across India, as well as in international locations including London, Singapore, and Dubai, the press release said.
Extending his greetings on Hindi Diwas-2025, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that after independence, Sardar Patel united all states and regions to forge an undivided India. He proudly added that today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has further strengthened the ties of language and culture to build Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
He stated that language, in any form, is an integral part of culture as well as a means of expression. Referring to the adoption of Hindi as the official language by the Constituent Assembly on 14th September 1949, the Chief Minister said that since 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has established the tradition of celebrating Hindi Diwas-2025 across states and nationwide, thereby imparting renewed dignity and significance to the occasion.
In this context, he warmly welcomed everyone to this year's Hindi Diwas -2025 celebrations in Gujarat and to the Fifth Akhil Bhratiya Rajbhasha Sammelan in Gandhinagar. CM said that to achieve the Prime Minister's vision of a Viksit Bharat, it is crucial to remain deeply connected to our cultural values and heritage for the nation's future.
He urged people to use the official language alongside regional languages in their daily lives. CM lauded initiatives such as the Digital Hindi Shabd-Sindhu, implemented by the Department of Official Language under the guidance of the Union Home Minister. He said that, thanks to these efforts, more than 7 lakh words have now been included in the Shabd-Sindhu.
CM Patel stated that honouring Hindi also reflects respect for the pride of all other Indian languages. Gujarat, a land where diverse languages and cultures come together, is committed to contributing to a Viksit Bharat through this coexistence.
He called upon everyone to take a pledge on Hindi Diwas-2025 to harness the strength of all languages, including Hindi, in building an Atmanirbhar, Viksit, and culturally vibrant India.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar commended the strengthening of the Hindi language alongside the cooperation of other languages. He highlighted that under the leadership of PM Modi, India has emerged as a Vishwaguru and a self-reliant nation.
Today, Hindi has secured a strong global presence and is advancing in areas such as education, business, and technology. The language is now being used not just for communication but also as a major medium of knowledge and science internationally. The Department of Official Language has compiled a dictionary containing over seven lakh words, including approximately 25,000 words sourced from other Indian languages, he said.
He further added that Hindi is broadening its reach through coordination with India's regional languages. Yet, the language's progress at both the national and international levels will truly accelerate only when youth scientists of India present their research and technological innovations in Hindi.
Welcoming the gathering, Anshuli Arya, Secretary of the Department of Official Language, stated that Surat hosted the grand Akhil Bhratiya Rajbhasha Sammelan in 2022, and now, in 2025, Gandhinagar is taking on the responsibility of hosting this significant event. She added that, thanks to the tireless efforts of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, the conference has been successfully organised to advance the nation's unity, security, development, and cultural pride.
Arya further said that on September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly granted Hindi the status of the official language, and since then, this historic day has been celebrated annually as Hindi Diwas-2025 . She added that in recent years, the use of the official language in government functions has grown significantly, while regional languages have also been appropriately recognised and respected.
Under the guidance of the Union Home Minister, the Department of Official Language inaugurated the multilingual translation software developed for the Indian Languages Division, as well as the new version of the Digital Hindi Dictionary (Hindi Shabd -Sindhu), now containing 7 lakh words. On this occasion, the department also released a special issue focused on Hindi and cooperation, along with the book titled "Hindi and Indian Languages: Dimensions of Translation."
Furthermore, the Union Home Minister presented the Rajbhasha Gaurav and Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar to more than 12 institutions and literary figures. Alongside this, under the guidance of the Department of Official Language, books and journals published by various banks, ISRO, and other organisations were also released.
The conference saw the participation of over 6,000 officials and employees, including Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Ahmedabad MP Dinesh Makwana, Joint Secretary of the Department of Official Language Dr Meenakshi Jolly, and Gujarati educationist Prof Vijay Pandya. (ANI)