Hindi Diwas 2027

About Hindi Diwas

Hindi Diwas marks 14 September 1949, when the Constituent Assembly agreed that Hindi in the Devanagari script would be the official language of the Union government, with English continuing alongside it. It is observed in central government offices, banks, schools and universities, and in 2027 it falls on Tuesday, 14 September 2027. It is not a public holiday.

Hindi Diwas is often described as the day Hindi became India's national language. It isn't. What happened on 14 September 1949 was narrower, more carefully negotiated and, for anyone writing a Hindi Diwas message, more interesting.

Why is Hindi Diwas celebrated on 14 September?

Hindi Diwas is on 14 September because on that day in 1949 the Constituent Assembly adopted the language provisions of the Constitution, making Hindi in the Devanagari script the official language of the Union. It ended one of the Assembly's most bitter debates, between members who wanted Hindi alone and members from the south and east who feared being shut out of government jobs and national life.

The settlement is called the Munshi-Ayyangar formula, after K. M. Munshi and N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, who drafted it. It had three parts: Hindi in Devanagari would be the official language; English would continue for official purposes for fifteen years; and the international form of Indian numerals, 1, 2, 3, would be used for official purposes rather than Devanagari digits.

The date is also often linked to Beohar Rajendra Simha, a Hindi scholar and writer who took part in the campaign for Hindi and whose fiftieth birthday, by the usual account, fell on 14 September 1949. Sources disagree on his birth year, so treat that connection as tradition rather than record.

Is Hindi the national language of India?

No. The Constitution of India does not name any national language. Hindi is the official language of the Union, alongside English, and the Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages, from Assamese to Urdu, with constitutional recognition. The Gujarat High Court noted in 2010 that no provision or order had ever declared Hindi a national language.

The fifteen-year deadline in the formula ran out on 26 January 1965. Before it, the Official Languages Act, 1963 allowed English to continue. A government circular suggesting Hindi would still become the sole official language set off the 1965 anti-Hindi agitation in Tamil Nadu, in which about 70 people died by government estimates, and the language question has stayed sensitive in parts of the south and east ever since.

That history is why a careful Hindi Diwas message celebrates Hindi without ranking it above anyone else's language.

How is Hindi Diwas observed in offices and schools?

Hindi Diwas is observed mainly in government offices, public sector companies, banks and schools, and the centre of it is the Department of Official Language in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Each year the department holds the Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan, the All India Official Language Conference, in a different city. It has moved from Varanasi to Surat, Pune, New Delhi, Gandhinagar in 2025 and Navi Mumbai in 2026. At the conference the Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar, renamed in 2015 from the Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Puraskar, and the Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar are given to ministries, banks, public sector units and writers for work in Hindi.

In offices, 14 September usually opens Hindi Pakhwada, a fortnight of competitions: essay writing, Hindi noting and drafting, poetry recitation, debates and quizzes, with small prizes at the end. Some offices stretch it into a Hindi month. Town Official Language Implementation Committees, known by the Hindi acronym NARAKAS, organise joint events for the central offices in a city.

Schools hold poetry recitation and essay contests, stage scenes from Premchand's stories, and read Kabir's dohas, Mahadevi Varma's verse or Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Madhushala. Many teachers use the day for students whose home language is not Hindi, to make it feel like a gift rather than a subject.

What should you write on Hindi Diwas?

A good Hindi Diwas message is itself in Hindi, even a single line, and talks about what the language gives the writer: a poem, a song, a way of speaking at home. For colleagues whose first language is different, turn it into a celebration of all Indian languages.

Rajbhasha

Official language; the Constitution's term for Hindi's status.

Rashtrabhasha

National language; a term often used for Hindi, but not a constitutional status.

Devanagari

The script in which Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and Sanskrit are written.

Hindi Pakhwada

The fortnight of Hindi events in government offices that begins on 14 September.

Hardik shubhkamnayein

Heartfelt good wishes.

For Hindi's international day, see World Hindi Day on 10 January, and for every language, International Mother Language Day. The Constitution's own anniversary is Constitution Day.

How to wish someone on Hindi Diwas

Hindi Diwas is a day to enjoy the language: a favourite poem, a teacher who made grammar bearable, the way a grandparent speaks. Wishes work best in Hindi, with warmth rather than claims. Avoid calling Hindi the "national language"; the Constitution names none, and colleagues who speak Tamil, Bengali or Marathi will notice.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.

When is Hindi Diwas in 2026 and 2027?

Hindi Diwas is on 14 Sept every year. Only the weekday changes.

• 2026Monday 14 Sept
• 2027Tuesday 14 Sept

Frequently asked questions