SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Sept 14: The Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University (DSPMU) on Wednesday commemorated Hindi Diwas with a speech from Chief Guest Prof Dr Satish Kumar Rai, HoD at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University on the history of Hindi as a language.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rai talked of the development of Hindi into a language after several changes. He said, “Hindi is not just a language, but a combination of different dialects. The language used in present times named Hindi is actually its purest form. In medieval times, Braj and Maghi were termed Hindi, while prior to it, Maithili and Avahatth were considered Hindi.”
Calling Hindi a language of the resolution, the speaker said, “Hindi is a language of struggle. Its word collection is considered the biggest in the world. It has taken several words from other languages. First is Sanskrit, along with several other national and international languages. This is also a reason why Hindi, which was once a vernacular, is now considered a global language.”
Rai further explained how several Hindi scholars that actually helped in developing Hindi, had other mother tongues including Nandi Mohan Sanyal, who was the first ever MA in Hindi. He also explained how Hindi was further developed into the language of journalism by a Marathi scholar.
Furthermore, Rai also explained how even the British initially had to open Fort William College to learn Hindi. He talked of Father Kamil Bulke and shared stories of his meeting with Dr Bulke. He talked about the work by Dr Bulke and his struggle with Allahabad University to submit his research in Hindi.
DSPMU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Tapan Kumar Shandilya said, “As per data, 18.4 per cent of people speak Hindi in the world. It is a very simple language and is the only language that nowadays can explain things in very few words. Historians believe that the Devanagari script used to write Hindi was created in the 11th-12th century and several writers worked to make Hindi a national language.”
The VC further suggested names of several poets and their creations including Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s ‘Madhushala’ and said that students should read these creations.
Prof Dr Yashodhara Rathore shared a report on Hindi explaining the worldview of Hindi. Celebrating the day, several students of the university dressed up as famous Hindi poets including Kabir, Tulsidas, Surdas, Mira, Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’, Mahadevi Verma and others. Students gave dance performances on a song written by Pt Birju Maharaj in his last days and sang songs on the occasion. Hindi Department’s Dr Jindar Singh Munda and several students worked to make the celebration a success.
