NEW DELHI:
Scholars, educators, and Indian diaspora representatives from India and the United Kingdom convened online on Saturday to mark Hindi Diwas and Ganesh Chaturthi, examining the shifting linguistic landscape of Hindi in the era of digital communication and Generation Z slang.
The international virtual webinar, marking the 649th episode organized by RJS Positive Media, addressed the theme of language, style, and cultural values among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, alongside the constitutional status of official language Hindi.
Opening the proceedings, RJS founder Uday Manna emphasized that while Hindi serves as the Union's official language under Article 343(1) of the Indian Constitution, its cultural and practical resonance extends far beyond administrative definitions. Recalling the historical consensus of September 14, 1949, when the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi in Devanagari script, Manna pointed to the contributions of figures such as Beohar Rajendra Simha, Kaka Kalelkar, and Maithili Sharan Gupt
Program Co-host Dr.Rashmi Chaube conducted the proceedings in a sober manner and presented some short poems on hindi divas. She noted that Hindi content consumption across internet platforms is growing rapidly, urging the younger generation to maintain the dignity of the language. Neh Shree Vashisht presented Saraswati Vandana while Swara Tripathi sang Ganesh Vandana with a devotional spirit.
Presiding over the session from the United Kingdom, Dr. Indu Barot, founder-director of Gurukul UK and a teacher at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, highlighted an emerging paradox between domestic linguistic habits and overseas diaspora initiatives. Barot, who also evaluates Hindi examinations for Cambridge University, observed that families across Britain, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States make sustained efforts to teach children Hindi and Sanskrit to preserve their roots.
Overseas parents consciously send their children to cultural schools, Barot said, noting that students often return from trips to India surprised to find their urban Indian peers conversing primarily in English. While acknowledging that linguistic change among Gen Z is inevitable, citing terms like shorthand texting and digital acronyms, she stressed that modern expressions should not replace core cultural courtesies. She argued that terms reflecting personal warmth and respect convey values that foreign alternatives cannot duplicate, adding that modern technology should be used to carry Hindi toward younger generations rather than creating a conflict with English.
Rashmi Mishra, founder-director of the UK-based organization Inspiring Indian Women, said Indian families abroad actively seek out Hindi literature and classes, with youth attempting poetry and public speaking despite foreign accents. She noted that community ties abroad are strengthened through shared linguistic heritage.
Delivering the chief guest address, Dr. Hari Singh Pal, General Secretary of the Nagari Lipi Parishad and former broadcast official with All India Radio, defended Hindi as an inherently adaptive and unifying medium. Dr. Pal explained that the Indian Constitution recognizes 22 official languages in the Eighth Schedule, each possessing distinct regional authority, while Hindi functions as the central link language and official working language of the Union.
Tracing the geographical and institutional reach of Hindi, Dr. Pal noted that central universities across all Indian states offer advanced research in the language. He dismissed fears that linguistic variations, colloquial street forms, or foreign borrowings dilute the language, pointing out that Hindi has historically absorbed vocabulary from Persian, Arabic, Portuguese, Turkish, and English without losing its fundamental character. He also cited the extensive work done by the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology in developing standardized technical vocabularies for engineering, medicine, and legal administration.
The session featured a substantive exchange on the impact of contemporary communication tools. Addressing a question from attendee Ishaq Khan regarding whether the growing reliance on emojis and visual shorthand diminishes vocabulary, Dr. Pal maintained that human communication has always sought brevity. Emojis, he argued, serve as visual tools of convenience and do not displace written narrative or literary craft.
A sharper concern was raised by author and patron Pranendra Nath Mishra, who argued that digital memes, street colloquialisms, and abusive vocabulary on public platforms threaten linguistic decorum. Mishra asked who holds responsibility for checking vulgarity, cautioning that while minor streams may merge into the river, the mainstream of the language must not be contaminated.
In response, Dr. Pal argued that criticism should not focus solely on negative elements. Literature in Hindi today, he stated, is broader and more inclusive than in previous decades, having expanded into previously unaddressed domains including Dalit literature, tribal studies, gender discourse, and diaspora writings. He added that while societal guidance begins at home, a living language cannot be insulated from change, nor should isolated vulgarity be taken as a generalized decline of the language.
Clarifying a question posed by participant R.S. Kushwaha from Hyderabad regarding the distinction between Hindi and Devanagari, Dr. Pal and session host Dr. Rashmi Choubey explained that Hindi is the spoken and literary language, whereas Devanagari is the script that serves as its written vehicle.
Youth perspectives were represented by Nehshri Vashishth, a first-year undergraduate student from Raja Mahendra Pratap University in Aligarh, who presented a Saraswati Vandana and spoke on behalf of Gen Z. Vashishth stated that while young people must embrace international languages and technical advancement, progress should not come at the cost of abandoning linguistic heritage. The cultural session also featured a Ganesh Vandana and historical address on the public observances initiated by Lokmanya Tilak, delivered by eighth-grade student Swara Tripathi from Lucknow.
Media entrepreneur Prakhar Varshney described his group's decade-long association with the RJS positive journalism initiative and the recent establishment of their studio facility in Noida to support public interest dialogues.
Sunil Kumar Singh, Sadhak Dr. Omprakash, Binda Manna, R.S. Kushwaha, Sweety Paul, Prakhar Varshney, Nishant Yadav, Monika Nandal, Mayank, Dr. Rati Ram Garhwal, Dr. Shahnawaz, Akanksha, Pranendranath Mishra and Sonu Kumar etc were present in the 649th Webinar on 14 September 2026.
Concluding the meeting, program Co-host Dr. Rashmi Choubey appealed to participants to actively write Hindi using the Devanagari script on social media and messaging platforms instead of relying on the Roman alphabet. Manna confirmed that the proceedings and contributions of attendees would be compiled for upcoming digital and print publications, including the organization's forthcoming review initiatives.
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