Permanent Mission of India

New York

Celebration of Hindi Diwas 2025

Statement by Ambassador P. Harish, Permanent Representative

Thursday 9 October 2025

Distinguished Members of Parliament led by Shri PP Chaudhary ji,

Permanent Representatives and Members of Diplomatic Community,

Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen, Language enthusiasts and Award winners,

Namaskar and greetings,

It is a great honor for me to speak on the occasion of the Hindi Diwas. As you are aware, the Hindi Diwas event was organised in the United Nations Headquarters for the first time in 2024. And to keep with the momentum, we are happy to continue with the practice.

2. Dear friends, every year Hindi Diwas is celebrated to commemorate adoption of Hindi as the Official Language of the Republic of India, besides English. This day is a celebration of Hindi language and the pivotal role it plays in our national life. Besides English, Hindi is the main language of communication commonly spoken through the length and breadth of the country.
3. India is a civilisation that is multilingual and multicultural. In such a diverse country, language plays a significant role in shaping cultural and social identity. Over 500 million people are Hindi-speaking and with such a pan-India presence, Hindi is an expression and a medium of cultural heritage and unity, thus playing the role of a bridge between the diverse backgrounds and cultures.
4. While there are 22 constitutionally recognised languages and thousands of dialects in India, Hindi holds a special place in our linguistically diverse country. Hindi is the third largest linguistic group in the world, after English and Mandarin. Hindi has thus become synonymous with the vibrant cultural landscape of India, and has transcended geographical boundaries to emerge as a popular language around the globe, on the strength of our diverse diaspora as well as the prominence of Bollywood and literature.
5. Dear Friends, this event serves to underline the significance and global impact of the Hindi language. In this context, we appreciate the visiting delegation of Members of Parliament to participate in the Hindi Diwas celebration at the UN.
6. I am pleased to inform you that India has been one of the leading voices of supporting multilingualism at the United Nations, and has co-sponsored past Resolutions on this subject. India is also voluntarily contributing to the Hindi@UN project which brings out UN news for wider dissemination to the Hindi speaking people of the world. It is my bounden duty to inform you that early this year, the Government of India has renewed a relevant MoU for five years, which ensures that UN news is telecast uninterruptedly in Hindi. We thank the Department of Global Communications for their efforts and work in popularizing Hindi for a global audience.
7. I also take this opportunity to convey my appreciation to all those who have participated in the various competitions organised by the Permanent Mission of India. I am happy that the winners would be felicitated today, and call upon them to continue with their passion of learning and popularising Hindi.

Dhanyavaad and Namaskar.