16 April,2026 04:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
President Murmu at Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Maharashtra’s Wardha. PIC/PTI
President Murmu on Thursday said that India's progress is deeply connected to its native languages. She stressed that the country's diverse languages carry a single stream of culture and consciousness at the sixth convocation of the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Maharashtra's Wardha.
She said, "A strong, self-reliant and developed India can only be built on the foundation of the country's native languages."
She also urged people to take pride in Indian languages and said citizens should learn at least one Indian language apart from their mother tongue.
Speaking at the sixth convocation of University in Wardha, the President recalled historical efforts to promote Hindi. She said that in 1936, Mahatma Gandhi, along with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Acharya Kaka Kalelkar, established the Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti in Wardha to promote Hindi.
She noted that their mother tongues were different, Gujarati, Bengali and Marathi but they recognised Hindi as a unifying language during the freedom struggle.
According to her, "These great souls recognised the power of Hindi as a medium for patriotism and national unity." She also recalled Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's famous call in Hindi: "Give me your blood and I will give you freedom."
President Murmu said India's languages are interconnected and reflect shared cultural values. She explained that readers of different languages can still connect with literature through translations, citing her own example. "India's soul finds expression in Indian languages and a single stream of culture, sensitivity, and consciousness flows through all our diverse Indian languages," she said. "That is why I or other Odia speakers like me can connect effortlessly with Munshi Premchand's stories or Mahadevi Verma's poems in Hindi while reading their Odia translations. Similarly, Hindi readers connect with Odia litterateurs like Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gopinath Mohanty and Pratibha Ray." President Murmu said, reported PTI.
She also referred to the national song Vande Mataram, saying it binds the emotions of Indians through a mix of Sanskrit and Bengali. "Our national song 'Vande Mataram', composed in a mix of Bengali and Sanskrit, binds the emotions of all Indians into one thread."
The President urged students to value their linguistic heritage. She said, "I often quote a line from a popular Odia poem, and I find it relevant today - 'Learn as many other languages as you can, but honour your mother tongue." She added that all Indian languages belong to everyone and encouraged people to learn at least one additional Indian language besides their local language, reported the news agency.
Murmu also said that India must work to remove remnants of a colonial mindset and revive its knowledge traditions. She stressed that education should connect with people's lives and needs, echoing Mahatma Gandhi's views.
President Murmu said that Indian languages should not only be seen as cultural tools but also as mediums for creativity, research and innovation. She said that a developed India must be rooted in its languages and that efforts like the National Education Policy (NEP) are helping move in the right direction.
(With PTI Inputs)
