On the occasion of Hindi Day 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday described the official language as a unifying link across India’s linguistic diversity, highlighting that it offers better opportunities to work.
Addressing the Sixth All India Official Language Conference held in Navi Mumbai as part of Hindi Day 2026 celebrations, Shah emphasised the government’s commitment to promoting Hindi in education.
“The official language Hindi is connected to all the languages across the country. I come from Gujarat, where Gujarati is spoken, but due to Hindi, I have never faced any difficulty in working at the national level. The official language has given me a tremendous opportunity to work across the country,” said the Union Home Minister.
Shah highlighted the government’s decision to make education in the mother tongue mandatory at the primary level under the new education policy, framing it as essential to preserving cultural identity.
“The Modi government has made education in the mother tongue mandatory in primary classes under the new education policy,” he said.
“No one can understand a mother’s affection and the love of siblings except through one’s mother tongue. The values of one’s land, one’s language, one’s religion, traditions, and culture can only be imbibed through the medium of the mother tongue,” he said, adding, “When a person thinks, analyses, and creates in their mother tongue, the outcome is always better.”
Highlighting the multilingual culture of Maharashtra, he said, “Marathi is certainly respected here, and it should be. It was our PM Modi who granted Marathi the status of a classical language. However, when you come to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s land, it has flourished, been respected, and accepted along with many other languages, including Konkani, Gujarati, Sindhi, Hindi, and Kannada…Maharashtra is the largest multilingual state.”
Shah recalled the government’s 2019 decision to decentralise the All-India Official Language Conference. “In 2019, we decided that this All-India Official Language Conference would not be restricted to Delhi; we would take it to every state, and today is the sixth such conference,” he said.
He also pointed to PM Modi’s practice of addressing global platforms in Indian languages rather than English.
“Whenever Modi-ji travelled anywhere in the world–to any major summit or country–he addressed audiences in the official language and in Indian languages. Listening to the Prime Minister of our country speak in his own language on global platforms instead of a foreign language fills one’s chest with pride and honour. This is the respect the Prime Minister has accorded to the nation’s languages,” Shah said.
With Ganesh Chaturthi coinciding with Hindi Diwas, Shah expressed hope that Lord Ganesha would help clear obstacles in the path of Indian languages’ growth.
“I believe that the Remover of Obstacles (Vighnaharta, Lord Ganesha) will pave the way for the development of Indian languages, and whatever hurdles arise in the path of the development of Indian languages, Lord Shri Ganesha will also remove them–I have immense faith in this,” he said.
“The Ganesh festival in Maharashtra was initiated in 1893 by Tilak Maharaj. He understood that awakening within the creation, culture, and history of this country could only be brought about through cultural nationalism. That’s why he started the trend of celebrating Ganesh Utsav and the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he added.
Hindi Diwas, celebrated annually on September 14, marks the adoption of Hindi as one of India’s official languages. The day highlights the language’s role in bridging diverse linguistic and cultural communities across India.
(with inputs from ANI)
