Union Home Minister Amit Shah used this year's Hindi Diwas to position the official language as a professional enabler, not just a cultural symbol, drawing on his own career to make the case.
Speaking at the Sixth All India Official Language Conference in Navi Mumbai, Shah said Hindi acts as a bridge across India's linguistic landscape while stressing that mother tongues remain central to culture, identity and learning.
"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," he said.
Shah also said Hindi is not a competitor to any language but an important link of intimate dialogue among Indian languages and national integration.
He 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.
Shah also pointed to Prime Minister Modi's practice of addressing global platforms in Indian languages rather than English, noting that Modi addressed audiences in the official language at major summits and in various countries.
The conference, attended by thousands of officials, scholars and language experts from across the country, was organised as part of Hindi Diwas 2026 celebrations.
The discussion at the event is no longer limited to Hindi's role in government offices — it increasingly extends to how Indian languages can adapt to artificial intelligence, digital communication, education, science and a rapidly changing technological landscape.
The two-day event brings together government officials, language experts, academics, writers and other participants to discuss the development and wider use of Hindi and the relationship between Hindi and other Indian languages.
