R Ashwin reinvokes debate on World Hindi Day: 'Not national, but official language', 6 months after urging Tamil Nadu youngsters?to?learn?Hindi

World Hindi Day, or Vishwa Hindi Diwas, is observed every year on January 10 to celebrate and promote the Hindi language worldwide. As people unite to honour Hindi, the ongoing debate about whether it is a national or official language continues. In recent months, the topic has also surfaced everywhere, even in the world of cricket.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced backlash for creating a new account for their Hindi-speaking audience. Now, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin's comments on the debate regarding Hindi being a national or official language have sparked a discussion online. This stance comes just months after he criticized DMK's anti-Hindi campaign slogan, 'Hindi Theriyadu Poda' (Translation: "I Don¡¯t Know Hindi, Get Lost!").

What did R Ashwin say?

At a graduation ceremony at a private engineering college in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, his home state, Ashwin clarified that Hindi is "not a national language, but an official language." As he took the stage to speak, he acknowledged the language preferences of the attendees, noting how many understood English, Tamil, and Hindi.

"English students in the house¡­ give me a yay. Tamil (students cheer loudly)¡­ okay... Hindi (very little noise from the crowd)... I just want to say that Hindi is an official language, not the national language," Ashwin remarked. The video of the same has since gone viral.

????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ??

????? ????????? ???? .

?????????? ????? ???????. pic.twitter.com/MQ2monbFpr

¡ª ?. ???? ???? (@SBalaBala6) January 9, 2025

Fan reaction

It seems that R Ashwin's statement at the graduation ceremony has resonated well with his fans and netizens, mainly from South India, with many noting that this aligns with what India's courts have previously stated.

Hindi is not a national language it's an official language ??????

- R Ashwin

¡ª Riti? (@RitiXdy) January 10, 2025

Ashwin is repeating a "fact" that Gujarat HC also said; why is it bothering you all!

So repeat after me, Hindi is not a national language. pic.twitter.com/hNRDjAUhkb

¡ª the_minimalist (@the_minimaleast) January 10, 2025

Hindi is just a official language not a national language - R Ashwin ??@ashwinravi99 https://t.co/D2YBlzgGKg

¡ª walter louis ?? (@walterlouis1014) January 9, 2025

R Ashwin on learning Hindi 6 months ago

However, it was last year during his book launch "I Have the Streets: A Kutty Cricket Story" that Ashwin advocated for learning the Hindi language. During the interaction, Ashwin shared anecdotal stories to emphasize the need to learn other languages if one wants to make a career beyond their native state. He also noted that learning the language could go a long way in earning acceptance from others and contributing to conversations.

Hindi YouTube channel

In fact, it was also in 2024 that Ashwin launched his Hindi YouTube channel. The former Indian all-rounder took to his official social media handle, and wrote: "Subscribe to our exclusive Hindi Channel! Ash ki Baat". He also manages a Tamil YouTube channel in which he conducts interviews related to all cricket stories.

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