As the nation celebrates the rich amalgamation of its linguistic diversity, Hindi Diwas stands as a momentous occasion to honour and embrace our linguistic roots. Today, we have had the privilege of delving into the world of Janhvi Singh, a content creator whose passion and commitment to the Hindi language have made her a symbol of inspiration for many. With her diverse content ranging from the history of India to speaking about Hindi literature favourites such as Bhagavad Gita and many other scriptures, she has created a niche for herself. Hindi Diwas, a day that commemorates the adoption of Hindi as the official language of India, serves as the backdrop for our conversation with Janhvi Singh, shedding light on the language’s enduring significance and the tireless efforts of those who champion it.
SN: Social media is dominated by the English language but you chose Hindi. What inspired you to create content in this language?
Janhvi: Social media dominated English में है लेकिन मेरी expertise हिन्दी हैं और जब आपके content में power हो तो language domination matter नहीं करता। English is definitely dominant but I have seen a mass audience in Hindi content as well.
गीता का ज्ञान, शास्त्र और उपनिषदों की व्याख्या जिस तरह हिन्दी और उससे भी श्रेष्ठ संस्कृत में जो व्यक्ति उससे समज सकता है वह शायद English में उतनी बेहतर ना हो क्योंकि emotions और भाव convey नहीं हो पाते।
Content शुरू करने के पहले मेरे माइंड में English में शुरू करने का ही plan था क्योंकि I come from a CBSE English Medium School, मेरी हिन्दी उतनी अच्छी नहीं थी और मुझे भी English बहुत cool लगती थी पर तब तक मैंने हिंदी ठीक से नहीं पढ़ी थी।
(Translated in English: Social media is dominated in English but my expertise lies in Hindi and when your content has power, then language dominance does not matter. English is definitely dominant but I have seen a mass audience in Hindi content as well.
The knowledge of the Gita, the interpretation of scriptures and Upanishads that a person can understand in Hindi and even better in Sanskrit may not be as good in English because emotions and feelings sometimes cannot be conveyed.
Before starting content creation, I had a plan in my mind to start in English because I come from a CBSE English Medium School, My Hindi was not that good and I also found English very cool but till then I did not read Hindi properly.)
SN: Hindi Diwas celebrates the importance of the Hindi language. How do you believe your content contributes to the promotion and preservation of Hindi as a language?
Janhvi: मेरा content तो संस्कृत, संस्कृति और शास्त्र का है और हिन्दी को प्रथम स्थान देना मेरा लक्ष्य होता है। शास्त्र और संस्कृति, संस्कृत भाषा में और सुंदर है लेकिन हिन्दी उससे आसान बनती है
मुझे हिन्दी बोलने का गर्व है, और होना भी चाहिए क्योंकि मेरा मानना है कि हिन्दी एक मात्र भाषा नहीं, हमारी मातृभाषा है। मेरा content भी यह दर्शाता है कि अपनी भाषा तो सबसे पहले आपको सीखनी चाहिए, जितना बेहतर हो सके उतना!
(Translated in English: My content focuses on Sanskrit, culture and scriptures and my focus is to give Hindi priority. Scripture and culture are more beautiful in the Sanskrit language but Hindi makes it easier.
I am proud to speak Hindi, and I should be because I believe that Hindi is not just a language, it is our mother tongue. My content also shows that first of all, you should learn your language, as best as you can!)
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SN: What challenges have you faced in creating content in Hindi, and how have you overcome them?
Janhvi: Content creation शुरू करने से पहले मेरे मन था की में English में start करूँ। लोग criticise करते थे कि English मत बोलो बीच-बीच में या फिर modern English words use मत करो और हिन्दी में content बनाओ जिसने मुझे बहुत कुछ सिखाया है।शुरू मे शस्त्रों को हिन्दी मे पढ़ने मे problem होती थी, समज नहीं आता था, but अब बहुत better है और ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा हिन्दी बोलने का प्रयास रहता है।
(Translated in English: Before starting content creation, I wanted to start in English. People used to criticise asking me to not use English words and to stick to creating content in Hindi, which has taught me a lot. Initially, there was a problem in reading Shastras in Hindi, I could not understand, but now it has gotten better and I try to speak Hindi as much as possible.)
SN: While you touch on varied genres of literature pieces in Hindi, your focus prominently is on Bhagwat Gita. How did you inculcate and foster this interest?
Janhvi: I have been almost a borderline atheist all of my life and it’s a transformational thing for me as well, but how did an atheist and a person who is really into modern and Western culture start reading the Bhagavad Gita and in fact now even makes content on it, spreading those things which she never believed in, is something I don’t know.
I come from a humble background not very religious or spiritual. I am an avid reader and love reading self-help and non-fiction books, focusing more on self-education. By 12th standard, I learned 70% of things from books and YouTube.
Later while I listened to many speakers, my mom insisted I read Gita but the first thought that came to me was “मैं तो नास्तिक हूँ” (I am an atheist) and it remained a good excuse as I was just trying to be cool until I realised what actually it means to be cool is this.
She thought to set an example and started reading Gita and I started seeing a few positive changes. Eventually, I started too. Believe me, God has chosen me to read and spread it, I did not.
That’s how it all started and that’s why with different genres of literature, भगवद् गीता वह ग्रंथ है जिसने मुझे सही और सत्य का, ईश्वर का मार्ग दिखाया इसलिए यह मेरा main focus रहता है। (Translated in English: Bhagavad Gita is the book which showed me the right and true path to God, hence it remains my main focus.)
SN: You recently won the award for Spiritual Creator of the Year. Firstly, Congratulations! Secondly, tell us a little about how you feel about this award.
Janhvi: बहुत धन्यवाद for your wishes, I just feel grateful for every recognition. जब ज़िद्दी हो दिल, तो ज़रूर मिलती है मंज़िल। और ईश्वर का आशीर्वाद हैं, उनकी कृपा हैं इसलिए यह सब कुछ आज है, I am just thankful and grateful for every award, moment and appreciation in this journey.
(Translated in English: Thank you very much for your wishes, I just feel grateful for every recognition. When the heart is stubborn, the destination is definitely achieved. And it is God’s blessings, his grace that is why I have achieved all this today, I am just thankful and grateful for every award, moment and appreciation in this journey.)
SN: In today’s digital age, content creators have access to a global audience. How do you balance creating content that appeals to a Hindi-speaking audience while also reaching a broader viewership?
Janhvi: Honestly, हिन्दी भाषा ने अपने आप मे एक बहुत अच्छा और broad viewership दिया है तो आगे भी उम्मीद है यह ऐसा चलेगा और हिन्दी ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा लोगो तक पहुँचेगी।
Content में balance करने की बात है तो अब में ने हिन्दी भाषा में वीडियो बनाने के साथ साथ English subtitles add करना start किया है so that मेरे South Indian audience के लिए आसानी हो।
(Translated in English: Honestly, the Hindi language itself has given me a very good and broad viewership, so hopefully, this will continue in future and I hope Hindi will reach more and more people.
As far as balancing the content is concerned, I have started adding English subtitles along with making videos in the Hindi language so that it becomes easier for my South Indian audience.)
SN: You engage in storytelling in Hindi content creation. Do you think this is an effective technique?
Janhvi: हाँ, I think बहुत interesting है क्योंकि गीता ज्ञान, शास्त्र ग्रंथ यह topics बहुत boring और मुश्किल लगते है normal audience के लिए और storytelling से topics को समझाना और जीवन मे अपनाना बहुत easy हो जाता है। Storytelling को और interesting करने के लिए I play characters and do acts.
(Translated in English: Yes, I think it is very interesting because Gita Gyan, and Shastra, these topics seem very boring and difficult for the normal audience and through storytelling, it becomes very easy to explain the topics and adopt them in life. To make storytelling more interesting I play characters and do acts.)
SN: Hindi Diwas encourages us to appreciate the beauty and richness of the Hindi language. Could you share a memorable experience with a Hindi teacher that has contributed to your language?
Janhvi: हिन्दी टीचर के साथ ऐसा कोई experience नहीं रहा पर एक चीज़ सिखाई की- हिंदुस्तान मे रहते हिंदुस्तानी को अगर हिन्दी बोलने मे शर्म आती है तो हे ग़लत बात है। और हिन्दी बोलना इस थे new cool। जो लोग हिन्दी मीडियम से हैं उन्हें गर्व होना चाहिए कि हिन्दी उनके लिये प्रधान है।
(Translated in English: I haven’t had any such experience with a Hindi teacher, but I have learned one thing – if an Indian living in India feels shy about speaking Hindi, then it is wrong. Now speaking Hindi is the new cool. People who are from Hindi medium should be proud that Hindi is important to them.)
SN: Are there any future projects in the pipeline that you want your audiences and fans to know about?
Janhvi: बहुत जल्द। में content के ज़रिये शास्त्र और उपनिषद् शुरू करने वाली हूँ अपने YouTube content के through गीता से ज्ञान पर, तो हिन्दी हाँ और हिंदू संस्कृति का और विस्तार होगा।
(Translated in English: Very soon. I am going to start content on Scriptures and Upanishads through YouTube, thereby content on Hindi yes and Hindu culture will expand further.)
In this special interview commemorating Hindi Diwas, while we had the privilege of discussing the significance of Hindi, it was Janhvi Singh’s dedication to the language that stole our hearts. Her insights and support further strengthen our emotional connection to this language
