HM Shah to Address Hindi Diwas, Official Language Conference in Mumbai
Two-day conference to feature Rajbhasha awards, Vande Mataram discussions, book launches and a 32-stall exhibition
- Amit Shah will inaugurate Hindi Diwas 2026 and the 6th All India Official Language Conference on September 14.
- The Union Home Minister will present the Rajbhasha Gaurav and Rajbhasha Kirti Awards for 2025–26.
- A special session will examine the historical, literary and cultural significance of Vande Mataram.
- The conference will bring together discussions on Hindi, Indian languages, technology, translation and literature.
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 14th Sept: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah will address the inaugural session of Hindi Diwas 2026 and the 6th All India Official Language Conference in Mumbai on Monday, September 14.
The two-day event will be attended by the Maharashtra Chief Minister, both Deputy Chief Ministers, Members of Parliament, scholars, litterateurs, educationists, distinguished guests and senior officials from the Central Government.
The Department of Official Language under the Ministry of Home Affairs has been organising the All India Official Language Conference annually since 2021. The initiative began in Varanasi and has subsequently been held in Surat, Pune, New Delhi and Gandhinagar before reaching Navi Mumbai this year.
During the inaugural session, Shah will present the Rajbhasha Gaurav and Rajbhasha Kirti Awards for 2025–26 to institutions and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of Official Language.
A key attraction of the conference will be a special discussion on Vande Mataram, focusing on its historical, literary and cultural significance. Playback singer Hariharan, journalist and writer Nilesh Mishra and Vande Mataram researcher Akhilesh Mishra will participate in the discussion. Researcher Milind Prabhakar Sabnis will also speak on the National Song’s historical and cultural dimensions.
Joydeep Chattopadhyay, a fifth-generation descendant of Vande Mataram author Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, will also attend the programme.
Several publications will be launched during the conference, including a special commemorative issue of Rajbhasha Bharati centred on Vande Mataram, along with Bharatiya Gyan Tantra: Srot aur Swaroop, Shiv Anadi Hain, Anant Hain and Andheron Se Ujalon Tak.
A dedicated session will focus on Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs/NARAKAS) and their role in implementing Hindi as the Official Language at the grassroots level. Outstanding NARAKAS will also be honoured.
The conference venue will host a special exhibition featuring 32 stalls, including two stalls of the Maharashtra Government and stalls representing the Department of Official Language, Publications Division, ministries, banks and other institutions.
On September 15, lyricist and writer Manoj Muntashir will participate in a special session, followed by a cultural programme showcasing Maharashtra’s artistic and cultural traditions.
The conference will also deliberate on Hindi’s development as an Official Language, people’s language and link language, coordination with other Indian languages, technology and language, translation, literature and the wider dissemination of Hindi.
The conference is being organised in the context of Articles 343 and 351 of the Constitution, which provide for Hindi in Devanagari script as the Official Language of the Union and assign responsibility to the Union for its promotion, development and enrichment.
