Railway
The Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union on:
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Answer: Option B — 14 September 1949
Detailed Solution
On 14 September 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi written in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union. This day is celebrated every year as Hindi Diwas.
The Munshi-Ayyangar formula:
The debate on the official language was one of the most heated in the Constituent Assembly.
A compromise known as the Munshi-Ayyangar formula, proposed by K.M. Munshi and N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, was accepted.
Under it, Hindi in Devanagari script became the official language of the Union, with the international form of Indian numerals.
English would continue to be used for official purposes for fifteen years.
Why 14 September:
14 September is also the birth anniversary of Beohar Rajendra Simha, a Hindi scholar who played an important role in the adoption of Hindi.
Constitutional provisions (Part XVII):
- Article 343: official language of the Union.
- Article 344: commission and committee of Parliament on official language.
- Articles 345 to 347: regional languages.
- Articles 348 and 349: language of the Supreme Court, High Courts and laws.
- Article 350: language to be used in representations for redress of grievances.
- Article 350A: instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage.
- Article 350B: Special Officer for linguistic minorities.
- Article 351: directive for the development of the Hindi language.
Celebrations:
- Hindi Diwas is celebrated on 14 September, and many government offices observe a "Hindi Pakhwada" (fortnight).
- World Hindi Day is celebrated on 10 January, marking the first World Hindi Conference held in Nagpur in 1975.
Hindi as a national language:
The Constitution does not declare any "national language"; Hindi is the official language of the Union, along with English as an associate language.
Eighth Schedule:
It contains 22 languages, including Hindi.
Why not the other options?
- ✗26 November 1949 is the date of the adoption of the Constitution.
- ✗2 October 1949 has no link with the official language decision; 2 October is Gandhi Jayanti.
- ✗15 August 1947 is Independence Day.
Quick tip
Remember: Hindi adopted as official language on 14 September 1949 (Hindi Diwas); World Hindi Day = 10 January.
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Languages & Scripts — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Languages & Scripts, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the languages of India, the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, classical languages, official languages of states, scripts such as Brahmi, Kharosthi and Devanagari, and the most widely spoken languages of the world. Questions often ask which languages have classical status, which language is official in a particular state, or how many languages the Eighth Schedule contains. Remember the amendments that added languages to the Eighth Schedule (for example, the 92nd Amendment added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali). Because the list of classical languages has grown over time, check the latest official count before your exam. Practise the languages and scripts questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.