Mumbai, September 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday highlighted the role of Hindi in national integration, while speaking about India’s multilingual heritage at the 6th Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan in Navi Mumbai on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.
Sharing his personal experience, Shah said that although Gujarati is spoken in his home state and Hindi is not the native language there, his understanding and ability to speak Hindi helped him work across the country when he was assigned national responsibilities.
He said the official language gave him a significant opportunity to serve people across India without language becoming an obstacle.
With the Ganesh Utsav beginning alongside the event, Shah extended greetings to the nation and said Lord Ganesha, revered as the ‘Vighnaharta’ or remover of obstacles, would clear the way for the development of Indian languages.
Shah praised Maharashtra’s multilingual character, describing it as a state where Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Hindi, Sindhi and Warli coexist. He stressed that Marathi deserved immense respect and noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had granted it classical language status.
Paying tribute to freedom fighters V.D. Savarkar and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Shah described Savarkar as a freedom fighter, social reformer and accomplished linguist. He said the Ministry of Home Affairs had honoured his linguistic legacy in Hindi through the ‘Shabd Sindhu’ initiative.
Shah also recalled Tilak’s efforts to promote cultural nationalism through the launch of Ganesh Utsav in 1893 and the celebration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti.
Referring to Shivaji Maharaj’s vision of ‘Swarajya’, Shah said it encompassed ‘Swadharma’ and ‘Swabhasha’, with Marathi promoted in administration.
He also highlighted the role of ‘Vande Mataram’ in awakening national consciousness during colonial rule and said the National Education Policy places emphasis on primary education in the mother tongue.
During the programme, Shah launched training initiatives related to Hindi resources, shorthand and typing, besides felicitating winners of the Rajbhasha Kirti and Rajbhasha Gaurav awards.
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