Union Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s contribution to promoting Hindi while addressing the nation virtually on Hindi Diwas. Emphasising India’s linguistic diversity, Shah urged young people to learn multiple languages without neglecting their mother tongues.
Shah said Hindi should not be viewed as a rival to any Indian language. According to him, every language represents a region’s history, heritage, and cultural identity. He stressed that people should never feel inferior while speaking their mother tongue, as language connects individuals with their roots, land, and traditions.
Recalling the contributions of non-Hindi-speaking personalities, Shah referred to Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He noted that Dayanand Saraswati, whose mother tongue was Gujarati, wrote Satyarth Prakash in Hindi to spread his religious ideas.
Shah also mentioned Mahatma Gandhi’s role in establishing the Hindi Prachar Sabha in Madras in 1918. Referring to Netaji, he said the Bengali freedom fighter used Hindi as a communication language within the Azad Hind Fauj, which he formed abroad. Shah credited Bose with popularising the patriotic slogan “Jai Hind.”
The Home Minister further stated that Indian languages played an important role in nation-building, administration, public awareness, and development after independence. He described linguistic diversity as one of India’s greatest strengths.
Sharing his own experience, Shah said Gujarati was his mother tongue, but Hindi often became his means of communication while travelling across the country. He also cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to overcome colonial mindsets, emphasising the importance of language in achieving that goal.
