Bhopal : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for efforts to be made to make usage of Hindi more vibrant, contending it would be among three languages to dominate the digital world.
Speaking at the inauguration of the World Hindi Conference here, Modi said that more and more people are getting inclined to speak in Hindi. Referring to his childhood, he revealed that he learnt Hindi from traders of Uttar Pradesh while selling tea.
“In the days to come, the significance of Hindi language will increase because language experts believe that by the end of the 21st century, out of 6,000 languages, 90 percent will lose their sheen. If we fail to understand this warning and fail to protect the language, then Hindi will only remain a matter of research,” he said.
Modi said the digital world will bring massive changes to the world with everybody using social media like WhatsApp. “Experts believe that in this field, three languages – English, Chinese and Hindi – will dominate the digital field,” Modi said, and added that it is the responsibility of tech experts to develop software to popularize Hindi and other Indian languages.
The three-day conference is being held at the Lal Parade Ground in Makhan Lal Chaturvedi Nagar here.
Modi said during his foreign trips, he came to know that people love Hindi in the countries he visited and that he also came to know of the efforts being made to popularize Hindi in those countries.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the conference is focused on the progress of the Hindi language, while the previous ones were focused on Hindi literature.
She said the conference, first held in Nagpur in 1975, is being held in India after 32 years.
Stressing there is need to preserve Hindi language, she said that suggestions of experts attending the conference will be taken and a report compiled in the concluding session. She said that the main recommendations should be acted upon.
Modi also released a postal stamp to mark the 10th World Hindi Day during the conference.