Hindi Language Movement and Nagari Pracharini Sabha Revival
The debate over Hindi language imposition has resurfaced in Maharashtra, prompting political unity between the Thackeray cousins on a Marathi language platform. The state government retracted its decision to make Hindi the default third language in primary schools. Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin remarked that the BJP retreated due to fear of public uprising. This reflects the long history of Hindi’s struggle for official recognition and cultural acceptance, a journey closely linked with the Nagari Pracharini Sabha, an organisation recently revived to promote Hindi language and literature.
Historical Background of Hindi Language under British Rule
During Mughal rule, Persian was the official language in India. The British changed this in 1832 by mandating that justice be delivered in languages understood by common people. This led to the replacement of Persian with English, Urdu, and regional languages. Hindi was not initially prominent due to its limited vocabulary and lack of formal development. The 1890s saw the Devanagari script replace Persian script, a shift influenced by British civil servant Antony MacDonnell.
Formation and Role of Nagari Pracharini Sabha
Founded on 16 January 1893 by Hindi scholars Shyam Sunder Das, Pandit Ramnarayan Mishra, and Thakur Shivkumar Singh, the Sabha aimed to establish Hindi as the language of courts and government. It embarked on compiling an authoritative Hindi dictionary by collecting words from across villages and towns. This effort lasted 21 years, culminating in the publication of the 11-volume Shabd Sagar dictionary in 1929. The Sabha also published Acharya Ramchandra Shukla’s seminal ‘History of Hindi Literature’, a mainstay of Hindi literary studies.
Hindi Promotion and Cultural Impact
In 1896, the Sabha established the Arya Bhasha Pustakalaya, India’s largest Hindi library at the time. The Sabha’s apolitical movement gained support from freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak. It also launched the Nagari Pracharini Patrika journal in 1896 and the Hindi magazine Saraswati in 1900. These publications played a vital role in spreading Hindi literature and scholarship.
Post-Independence Developments and Revival
After independence, the Sabha enjoyed patronage from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. It expanded beyond Banaras to Haridwar and New Delhi, establishing local units. However, from the 1970s, political interference weakened its activities. Legal disputes over leadership culminated in a 2024 Allahabad High Court verdict favouring the Vyomesh Shukla-led group. Under this leadership, the Sabha resumed publishing important Hindi works, including a reprint of Ramchandra Shukla’s literary history and poems by Amir Khusrau.
Current Significance
The Nagari Pracharini Sabha’s revival signals renewed interest in Hindi’s cultural heritage. It continues to influence language policy debates and literary scholarship. The ongoing contest between regional languages and Hindi reflects deeper socio-political dynamics in India’s linguistic landscape.
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