Oxford Languages name ‘Aatmanirbharta’ as Hindi word of 2020

The Oxford Hindi word of the year is a word or expression that is chosen to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.

'Aatmanirbharta' implying self-reliance has been named by Oxford Languages as its Hindi word of the year 2020 as it "validated the day-to-day achievements of the countless Indians who dealt with and survived the perils of a pandemic".

The word was chosen by an advisory panel of language experts Kritika Agrawal, Poonam Nigam Sahay and Imogen Foxell.

The Oxford Hindi word of the year is a word or expression that is chosen to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.
 

In a statement, Oxford Languages said in the early months of the pandemic when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India's Covid-19 recovery package, he emphasised the need to become self-reliant as a country, as an economy, as a society and as individuals, in a bid to navigate the perils of the pandemic. There was a massive increase in the usage of 'Aatmanirbharta' following the Prime Minister's address, highlighting its increased prominence as a phrase and concept in the public lexicon of India, it said.

One of the standout successes of the entire Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign is the large-scale manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccine in India. During the Republic Day parade, the Department of Biotechnology highlighted the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign and showcased the Covid-19 vaccine development process in its tableau at Rajpath.