Delhi: Rare manuscripts to 9th CE bronze sculpture, this exhibition traces Hindi’s expanse

How does Hindi compare with its closest cousins Urdu, Hindustani and Dakkhini?

Interesting nuggets such as these along with fascinating artefacts and manuscripts are on display at a unique Hindi exhibition underway at the National Museum in Janpath.

From rare manuscripts in Devnagri script to Kangra paintings with inscriptions in the script, and from artefacts with earliest Hindi engravings to centuries-old puja fabric embossed with hymns in the language, the exhibition collates everything Hindi found in the vast, labyrinthic expanse of the National Museum in one place.

According to Rajesh Kumar, Assistant Director, Official Language (OL), National Museum, “This is perhaps the first-of-its-kind exhibition to be held anywhere in India. We have explored different corners of the National Museum to come up with artefacts, manuscripts and paintings with a Hindi connect and brought them under one roof. It is a unique way of connecting our antiquity with our language.”

Kumar is referring to antiquities such as a 9th-century bronze sculpture of Parsvnath found in an excavation in Akota, Gujarat, with the words ‘Malsutre gatena kara pita pratima’ engraved in legible Devnagri script underneath.

“This is clear proof that the Devnagri script that we associate Hindi with now goes that far, and beyond. People should know that Hindi is not just confined to literature books, its scope is much wider,” Kumar tells The Indian Express.

The exhibition, on display at Ajanta Hall until November 20, is divided into six meticulously curated sections: Hindi’s origin and development, the role of Hindi in India’s freedom struggle, the debate in the Constituent Assembly on making Hindi the official language, Hindi as the official language, World Hindi Conference, and Devnagri script in Indian antiquities.

“The debate on making Hindi an official language is a very fascinating one. One can take a look at the contrasting views of different stalwarts on the importance of the language,” says Kumar as he points towards the section dedicated to the topic.

The exhibition also has an audio-visual section where visitors can watch Hindi being represented on international platforms such as the speech given by the then foreign minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the UN General Assembly in 1977.

The exhibition also has seals and coins containing inscriptions in Devnagri besides paintings and fabrics.

“The exhibition is drawing the interest of people from far and wide. We have received requests from museums in places such as Ahmedabad and Allahabad to hold a similar exhibition there,” says Kumar.

Dr V P Gaur, Former Director (OL) at the museum, who provided consultation to the exhibition, said, “Language is not only a means of exchange of ideas. India’s ancient culture and heritage is also associated with it in which Hindi and other Indian languages have a leading role.”