This Hindi Diwas, celebrities talk about their love for the language and how more people must understand its significance

Devnagri script helps
Anusha Mishra

I find Hindi is extremely detailed and the Devnagri script is the most important for anyone wanting to learn a new language, it helps me learn Hangul and Spanish better. We don’t often receive scripts in the Devnagri lipi, but I love reading Hindi novels. Premchand ji remains my favourite, along with Gulzar sahab and Amrita Pritam ji.

Rich language
Acharya Vinod Kumar Ojha

Hindi is our ‘matrbhasha’ and I speak ‘shudh’ Hindi. I have lived in a Gurukul and value Hindi. I use Hindi personally and professionally. It is such a rich language. We all should speak it proudly. Indians need to change their attitude towards their mother tongue. In schools, Hindi should be a compulsory subject and not optional. Our ‘sahitya’ is also rich. Be it Munshi Premchand’s or Rabindranath Tagore’s, all are excellent works.

True gem
Prateik Chaudhary

I am very close to the Hindi language. English doesn’t have the same feel that you get when you read anything in Hindi. I feel that actors should be really comfortable in Hindi, it should be spoken with such ease and comfort that it seems like your first language. Though these days mostly novels are available in English, there are so many gems in Hindi too. I feel our culture and heritage is more beautifully expressed in Hindi. The stories of our country are better conveyed in it than in any other language. Also, all our vedas and religious books are in Hindi.

Deep love
Rahul Sharma

As a Hindi medium student, I have a deep love for the language because of its beauty and expressiveness. In special situations, Hindi excels in conveying thoughts and emotions as compared to English, which often falls short. Speaking about English, when I began my career, I faced challenges due to my limited proficiency. While we take pride in our ability to speak English and appreciate its global importance, Hindi holds a unique beauty in expressing emotions. English serves as a communication tool, but I believe Hindi-speaking individuals often excel in various aspects. Hindi remains the preferred language for meaningful conversations, even in professional settings.

Unique essence
Farnaz Shetty

While Hindi is our industry’s primary language, I predominantly speak English due to my social circle and education. Yet, I have a profound love for Hindi, evident in my extensive reading of Hindi books and fluency in both Hindi and Urdu. Some may view speaking Hindi, especially when traveling abroad, as outdated, but I embrace multilingualism. I’m even learning Telugu for my work. Every language carries unique essence. While some shy away from speaking Hindi in our own country, others criticise English speakers. Language choice is personal and one should never feel ashamed of it.

Deep influence
Khushdeep Bansal

I was not originally a Hindi speaker. I was born in Punjab and studied in Punjabi medium schools until I pursued English, which introduced me to the language.

During my engineering years, I was deeply influenced by Kuppahalli Sitaramayya Sudarshan’s Hindi speech, which sparked my interest in Hindi. I worked on improving my Hindi, inspired by my mentor, Chandragupt Varnekar. Now I prefer reading in Hindi and aim to communicate primarily in Hindi.