New Delhi, Sep 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday while extending his wishes on Hindi Diwas stated that language is the instrument of expression, it cannot be the root.

"The way there is consciousness in life, it lies in language as well," said PM Modi.

Reflecting on his connection with the Hindi language, the Prime Minister said, "I sometimes think that if I did not understand Hindi language, how would I have reached out to people or connected with them? I know the strength of the Hindi language personally."

He also paid tributes to several prominent leaders who played a key role in promoting Hindi, despite not being native speakers themselves.

"In our country, the Hindi language movement was led by figures like Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Tilak, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, and Rajagopalachari, whose mother tongue was not Hindi, yet they worked tirelessly for the protection, conservation, and promotion of the language. This gives us motivation," said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister further highlighted the value of regional languages, saying, "In the form of the mother tongue, every state has priceless treasures. How to connect all of it? In that process, Hindi can serve as a suitable medium. Working on that can strengthen the Hindi language, and we can continue our efforts in that direction."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also shared his thoughts on Hindi Diwas, commemorating the day when, on September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi as the official language.

Reflecting on the 75th anniversary of this decision, Rajnath Singh emphasised the role of Hindi in uniting Indian society.

"From our freedom fighters to the nation's strategists, Hindi has been seen as a tool for promoting social unity," he said in a video posted on X.

He also lauded the language's inclusiveness, noting, "Hindi's speciality lies in its abundance. It has absorbed words from many languages in an inseparable way. This quality stems from Indian culture and tradition, where every tradition has been followed and progressed in unity."

The Defence Minister further acknowledged the efforts made to make Hindi more people-oriented but stressed that more work remains.

"With the help of the government and societal efforts, Hindi is now becoming more people-oriented, but there is still much to be done. We must focus on making Hindi not just the language of the government but a global language," he added.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also shared a message extending her wishes on Hindi Diwas saying, "We respect all languages. Since 2011, we have made many efforts for the uplift of Hindi-speaking people in the state."

"From the establishment of the Hindi Academy to the creation of Hindi University and several Hindi colleges ' these are achievements we are proud of," she remarked on X.

/IANS