Timeline of Hindi on the web

From Timelines
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a timeline of Hindi on the web, attempting to describe key events in the development of Hindi on the World Wide Web. The inclusion of Hindi language support on the web and other digital platforms in India has been an ongoing process over the years, with various initiatives by the government and private organizations to make digital content and services accessible in Indian languages. The web is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs, that are accessible via the internet.

Sample questions

The following are some interesting questions that can be answered by reading this timeline:

  • What are some historical events contributing significantly to the development of the Hindi language and, by extension, its presence on the web?
    • Sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Hindi language history".
    • You will see foundational developments, until the evolution of Hindi gaining official status, enabling its usage on the web and becoming more prevalent, on websites, social media, to digital publications.
  • What are some notable background events related to the development of Hindi language on the web?
    • For infrastructure, sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Background (infrastructure)".
      • You will see milestones in the development of the internet infrastructure, which provides the underlying physical and logical framework for the operation of the web.
    • For companies establishing the infrastructure for internet and web development, sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Background (business)"
      • You will see a number of companies playing a significant role in establishing the infrastructure for internet and web development in India, most often with initial versions in English.
    • For government policies, sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Background (policy)"
      • You will see the implementation by the Indian government of several policies aimed to promote Hindi language as well as the development of internet and web services in the country.
    • For the status of Hindi in demographic terms, sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Background (demographics)".
      • You will mostly see figures related to the evolution of Hindi speakers.
  • What are some notable or sample Hindi versions of websites web-based technologies having been launched over the years?
    • For websites, sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Hindi website launch".
    • For web-based services, sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Hindi service launch".
    • You will see a number of notable or sample services, apps and websites in Hindi, often pioneering their business sector/industry in this language.
  • What are some events highlighting the growth and diversification of original content in Hindi across various platforms?
    • Sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "Original content".
    • You will see a number of events collectively showcasing the expansion and evolution of original content in Hindi across different mediums, including streaming services, blogs, TED Talks, and YouTube channels, contributing to the enrichment of Hindi language content on the web.
  • What are some statistics related to the growth of Hindi in the web?
    • Sort the full timeline by "Event type" and look for the group of rows with value "statistics".
      • You will see figures reflecting the significant growth of Hindi on the web, as it is expected to continue to gain popularity as more internet users in India prefer to access online content in their native language.
  • Other events are described under the following types: "Background (economy)", "Background (education)", "Product launch" and "Public opinion".

Big picture

Time period Development summary More details
8th century onward Development of the Hindi Language The history of the Hindi language can be traced back to 769 CE when Old Hindi, a direct descendant of Sanskrit[1], is spoken around Delhi, serving as the ancestor for Modern Hindi and Urdu, written in the Devanagari script. During the 8th-10th centuries, amidst Islamic invasions, Afghans, Persians, and Turks adopt Old Hindi as a shared means of interaction around Delhi, leading to its evolution and the incorporation of Arabic and Persian loanwords. In the 13th-15th centuries, speaking and learning Hindi gains popularity, coinciding with the emergence of early Hindi literature. The modern version of Hindi starts to emerge in the 18th century. Significant events in the 20th century shape the language's trajectory. In 1900, the Government of India grants Hindi and Urdu equal status, with Hindi becoming the primary source for formal vocabulary. Anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu in 1937 oppose the imposition of Hindi as the sole official language, leading to protests and the withdrawal of Hindi imposition in 1940. Hindi is adopted as India's official language in 1949, replacing Urdu with the formation of the Indian Constitution in 1950. The Vishalandhra movement in 1953 influences the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. Committees are established in 1954 and 1958 to standardize Hindi grammar. In 1963, the Official Languages Act permits the continued use of English, and in 1965, anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu prevent Hindi from becoming the national language, marked by intense protests led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party.
1990s–2000s Early years of Hindi on the web The use of Hindi on the web is limited to a small number of websites and mainly used for personal communication. During this period, Hindi fonts are not standardized, and there is no standardized keyboard layout for Hindi typing. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when computers become popular, Windows does not provide any of the popular Indian languages as a default system language. This makes it difficult for Indian language users, particularly those who did not learn English in school, to use computers in their colleges and workplaces. They have no alternative but to struggle with the English-based systems.[2] In 1999, Webdunia launches the first web Hindi portal in the world.
mid-2000s – early 2010s Growth and diversification The use of Hindi on the web starts to gain momentum, and many Hindi websites are launched. During this period, the development of Unicode fonts and standard keyboard layouts for Hindi typing make it easier for people to write and read Hindi on the web. The popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter also contribute to the growth of Hindi on the web.
2017 onwards Maturation and standardization Indian language internet outgrows English internet in India. The recent years are characterized by the widespread use of Hindi on the web. Hindi content is available across a variety of platforms, including news websites, social media, e-commerce websites, and entertainment websites. The development of mobile technology and the widespread adoption of smartphones make it easier for people to access Hindi content on the go. Online platforms are also providing more opportunities for Hindi content creators, including bloggers, YouTubers, and social media influencers.

Full timeline

Inclusion criteria

We include:

  • Events that encompass all Indian languages in some cases, with the purpose of illustrating the trajectory of Hindi.
  • Only pioneering or highly popular service launches in Hindi, often as an alternative to the original service languages.
  • Only pioneering or very popular original content releases.

We do not include:

  • Events solely focusing on Indian languages other than Hindi.

Timeline

Year Month and date Event type Details
769 CE Hindi language history The Hindi language, a direct descendant of Sanskrit, dates back to around this time. Today known as Old Hindi, it is spoken in the areas around Delhi, serving as the ancestor for both Modern Hindi and Urdu. The language is written in the Devanagari script.[3][4]
8th-10th centuries Hindi language history During the time of Islamic invasions and the formation of Muslim control in Northern India, Afghans, Persians, and Turks adopt Old Hindi as a shared tongue of interaction with the local populace around Delhi. The language evolves and adopts loanwords from Arabic and Persian, which account for around 25% of Hindi vocabulary today.[4]
13th-15th centuries Hindi language history Speaking and learning Hindi as a first language becomes popular during this period, coinciding with the emergence of early Hindi writing in literature. Notable works like Prithviraj Raso and writings of Amir Khusrow are created in the Hindi language, which would go by several names over the years, including Hindi, Hindustani, Dahlavi, and Hindavi.[4]
18th century History of Hindi The modern version of the Hindi language starts to emerge by the end of this century, though it wouldn't be officially made the language of India until 1950.[4]
1857 Hindi language history After the War of Independence against the British East India Company, there is a push to replace Urdu, the official language used in British India, with Hindi as the Hindus' own language.[4]
1900 Hindi language history The Government of India grants both Hindi and Urdu equal status. Hindi soon becomes the primary source for formal vocabulary.[4]
1918 Hindi language history Mahatma Gandhi founds the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in Madras with the objective of promoting the Hindi language. Provincial branches would be subsequently established in 1936. In a significant development in 1964, the Sabha would be granted the status of an Institution of National Importance through an act of Parliament.[5]
1937 Hindi language history The Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu begin as a series of protests and demonstrations against the imposition of Hindi as the sole official language by the Indian government. The state of Tamil Nadu, primarily populated by Tamil-speaking people, opposes the decision, considering it a threat to their language and culture.[5]
1940 February Hindi language history The Madras government yields to pressure from anti-Hindi protests, leading to the withdrawal of Hindi imposition.[5]
1949 September 14 Hindi language history Hindi is adopted as India's official language by the Constituent Assembly of India.[6] Hindi Diwas is celebrated annually to commemorate this day.[7]
1950 Hindi language history With the formation of the Indian Constitution, Modern Hindi officially replaces Urdu as the language of India.[4]
1953 Hindi language history The Vishalandhra movement paves the way for the establishment of a States Reorganization Commission. This commission proposes that state boundaries should be redrawn to align with language boundaries. As a result of these recommendations, the States Reorganisation Act would be enacted in 1956.[5]
1954 Hindi language history The Government of India establishes a committee with the purpose of preparing a grammar for the Hindi language. The committee's objective is to standardize the grammar rules and structure of Hindi. This initiative aims to promote uniformity and clarity in the usage of Hindi in various domains, including education, administration, and communication. The committee's work played a crucial role in establishing standardized guidelines for Hindi grammar, facilitating its widespread use and understanding across different regions and communities in India.
1958 Hindi language history The committee responsible for preparing a grammar of Hindi releases its report, which is titled A Basic Grammar of Modern Hindi. This publication serves as a comprehensive guide to the grammatical rules and structure of Modern Hindi, providing a standardized framework for the language.
1963 Hindi language history Under the leadership of Prime Minister Nehru, the central government passes the Official Languages Act. This legislation permits the continued use of English for official purposes and within the Parliament of India.[5]
1965 Hindi language history Anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu prevent Hindi from becoming the national language of India[8], this time under the leadership of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. This period is marked by intense and often violent student protests, including acts of self-immolation as a form of protest.[5]
1986 Background (infrastructure) India is first connected to the internet through a network called the Educational and Research Network (ERNET), which is set up by the Department of Electronics (DoE) to provide internet connectivity to educational and research institutions in the country. The network is initially established to provide a platform for communication and collaboration between academic institutions in India and abroad. Today, ERNET continues to provide internet connectivity and services to a wide range of educational and research institutions in India.[9]
1986 Background (standardization) The first InScript keyboard is standardized under the auspices of the DOE (Department of Electronics at the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology).[10] With the adoption of the InScript keyboard, it would become easier for individuals, content creators, and developers to produce and consume digital content in Hindi.
1988 Background (organization) The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing is founded.[11] It would contribute to the development of various technologies and tools that support Indian languages, including Hindi, in the digital realm.
1992 Background (standardization) InScript keyboard is revised by a DOE committee and modifications are made to accommodate nuqta extended keys as well as to add certain matras. The last revision to the BIS document is made in the same year, after which the document would not undergo any revision.
1992 Background (standardization) Syed Fasih Uddin and Quader Unissa Begum introduce the Uddin and Begum Hindustani Romanisation scheme at the First International Urdu Conference in Chicago. This scheme serves as an international standard for transliterating Urdu and Hindi, collectively known as Hindustani, into the Latin alphabet.[12] In the context of Hindi and Urdu, which share linguistic similarities as part of Hindustani, this Romanization scheme serves as an international standard, impacting how these languages are represented online.
1995 August 15 Background (infrastructure) Public access to the internet is opened in India, when VSNL introduces internet access in the country via dialup services in 6 cities.[13]
1995 Background (business) Mumbai-based entrepreneur Rajesh Jain launches IndiaWorld, an early internet portal offering a variety of services such as news, weather, stock quotes, and online discussions. At the time, the internet is still in its early stages in the country and there are only a handful of users. Later acquired by Sify Technologies, a leading internet service provider in India[14], IndiaWorld portal no longer exists.[15]
1996 Background Netscape IPO hits the market, and a flood of capital launches the Internet into mainstream culture. Since then, Internet would see tremendous growth.[16]
1996 Background (business) The first cyber cafe in India is established at Mumbai's Leela Hotel. Called CyberCafe, it opens a year after the internet was introduced to India by VSNL.[17]
1996 July 4 Background (business) Indian businessman Sabeer Bhatia co-founds Hotmail.com, the first free web-based email service.[18]
1996 Year round Background (business) Several major newspapers in India establish their own websites, marking an important development in the country's media landscape. Most of these websites are in English at the time.[19]
1997 Background (typeface launch) Non-Unicode Hindi Devanagari typeface Kruti Dev is released. Designed by Indian type designer Kruit Dev Ram, it features an extensive set of Hindi characters. Widely utilized in the state offices of Bihar, Jharkhand, Jammu Kashmir, and Haryana, it is the official font for interoffice memos and letters.[20][21]
1998 Background (infrastructure) The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) launches to promote IT industry.[13] While NASSCOM's primary focus is on promoting and supporting the IT industry in general, this would indirectly contribute to the growth of Indian languages on the web, including Hindi.
1998 Background (infrastructure) The Indian government allows private Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to set up their own infrastructure in the country. Prior to this, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) was the sole provider of internet services in India. With the new policy, private companies would be allowed to enter the market and compete with DoT.[13]
1999 Hindi website launch Webdunia launches as India's first Hindi portal, and the first web Hindi portal in the world. At the time of its launch, most Indian websites and portals are primarily in English, and there are few options available for users who prefer to access content in their native languages.[22] Webdunia would play a significant role in promoting the use of Hindi on the internet and helping to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural populations in India.[23][24][25]
1999 Background (policy) The Indian government allows internet service providers (ISPs) to set up international gateways for the first time. Prior to this, all international internet traffic was routed through a single gateway operated by the state-owned telecommunications company, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL). This move allows multiple ISPs to set up their own gateways, thus increasing competition and helping to bring down the cost of internet access in India.[13]
1999 Background (policy) The Government of India allows 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the information technology (IT) sector, with no restrictions on the entry of foreign companies. This move is part of a broader set of economic liberalization measures designed to attract foreign investment and promote economic growth.[13]
1999 Background (typeface launch) Kiran, a Devanagari typeface designed by Kiran Bhave, is introduced. It is a free font primarily used for Marathi (मराठी) and other Indian languages. Kiran is significant for Hindi and other languages online, providing a free and accessible Devanagari script option for web content creation, contributing to the representation of Hindi and related languages on the internet.[26]
2000 Background (infrastructure) Cable internet services are first introduced in India, marking a significant milestone in the development of the internet in the country, as it provides users with a high-speed and reliable way to connect to the internet.[13]
2000 Background (policy) The Information Technology Act, 2000 is passed.[27] It is a primary law in India that deals with cybercrime and electronic commerce. It contains 94 sections divided into 13 chapters and 4 schedules. The Act provides a legal framework for electronic governance and defines cyber crimes with prescribed penalties. The Act amends various sections of existing laws to make them compliant with new technologies. It also introduces several provisions, including Section 66A and Section 69, which give authorities the power of interception or monitoring of information through any computer resource. In 2021, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules would be introduced as subordinate legislation to the Act.[28]
2000 Hindi website launch Hindi news channel Aaj Tak TV is launched as a 24-hour Hindi News.[29] This plays a role in shaping the digital landscape for the Hindi language by providing an online platform for news delivery, contributing to the digital presence and visibility of Hindi content on the web.
2000 Background (business) Yahoo launches Indian site, catering to the growing number of internet users in India. This move allows Yahoo to expand its reach and tap into the Indian market, which is seen as a potential growth market for internet-based businesses at the time.[13] This would play a role in promoting the use of Hindi on the web by offering localized services, content, and search capabilities.
2000 Background (business) Technology company Microsoft sets up an Indian site for its online messaging service, MSN. The move is part of Microsoft's broader strategy to expand its presence in the Indian market and tap into the country's growing population of internet users.[13]
2000 Background The Dhvani Text To Speech System is initiated by the Simputer trust, led by Dr. Ramesh Hariharan at the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore. Dhvani is tailored for Hindi and other Indian languages, and employs the diphone concatenation algorithm.[30] This event reflects a positive step toward leveraging technology to cater to the linguistic diversity of Indian internet users.
2000 Background (business) Bazee.com launches.[13] It is a popular Indian e-commerce.[31]
2001 Background (economy) Dot-com bubble bursts. At the time, India's technology industry is still in its early stages, and many Indian companies are not yet reliant on the internet. However, the bubble would have a significant impact on the global economy, and its aftermath would lead to a decline in technology investment around the world.[13] Its broader economic consequences would indirectly influence the development and investment in internet-related technologies, including content creation in Hindi.
2001 Background (business) The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation IRCTC online ticketing site is launched.[13]
2001 October 26 Hindi website launch Hindi-language news website Prabhasakshi is launched. The website is aimed at providing news and information to Hindi-speaking audiences in India and around the world.[32]
2001 Background (demographics) The number of Hindi speakers in India is calculated at 43.63 percent of the population of the country, or about 420 million people.[33]
2003 Background (business) Air Deccan launches the first online air ticketing site.[13] This move would revolutionize the way people in India book air tickets, making the process much more convenient and accessible.
2003 Background (policy) WiFi (2.4GHz) is deregulated by the Indian government, paving the way for the widespread adoption of WiFi technology in India, and helping spur the growth of the country's telecommunications industry. Prior to this, the use of this frequency band was restricted and required a license from the government.[13]
2003 Background (infrastructure) Airtel, one of India's leading telecommunications companies, launches its broadband internet service.[13]
2003 July 11 Hindi website launch Hindi Wikipedia launches, marking the beginning of the Hindi language's presence on the online encyclopedia platform.[34]
2003 Background (demographics) The United Nations Development Report notes that slightly more than 40 percent of the population of India is illiterate.[35]
2004 Background (business) Google opens its first office in India, located in the city of Bangalore.[36][37]
2005 Background (infrastructure) The Indian government's National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) begins accepting online registrations for .in domains. This allows individuals and businesses to register domain names with the .in extension, which is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for India.[13]
2005 Hindi service launch Basic mobile phones in India start receiving support for Indian languages, including Hindi, thus enabling users to type and read messages and other content in their preferred language. Prior to this, most mobile phones in India only supported English, which made it difficult for users who were not fluent in the language to use their phones effectively.[13]
2006 Background (userbase) Facebook starts attracting Indian users, helping fuel its rapid growth in the country over the next decade.[13]
2007 March Hindi service launch Google News launches service in Hindi, making it the first Indian language service offered by the popular news aggregation platform. The move is seen as a significant development in the Indian media landscape as it helps to make news and information more accessible to Hindi-speaking users across India and around the world.[38]
2007 Original content (blog) The number of Hindi blogs increases rapidly. This is due to the advent of Indic Unicode support in various blogging services, and the advent of new Hindi typing tools like Google Indic Transliteration tool in Blogger and the promotion of Hindi blogging in the mainstream media.[39]
2007 October Hindi website launch Entertainment space Tata Zone is launched in Hindi as an infotainment space for mobile phones.[40][41][42]
2008 May Hindi service launch Google launches a Hindi translation service, adding the language to its list of 14 dialects that can be translated from English. Users can translate text or web pages by typing the words phonetically and choosing the desired language.[43]
2008 February 19 Hindi website launch The Economic Times, one of India's leading business newspapers, launches in Hindi.[44]
2008 July 17 Hindi website launch Kindo.com launches as Hindi's first social network. The team emphasizes its value for Indian families, particularly students and engineers abroad. The move recognizes Hindi as one of the top three widely spoken languages.[45]
2008 November 7 Hindi website launch British multinational universal bank Barclays becomes the first foreign bank to launch website in Hindi.[46][47]
2009 Background (policy) The Indian government releases a draft policy on Indian language Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). IDNs are domain names that use characters from non-Latin scripts, such as Hindi, Tamil, or Bengali, instead of the standard English alphabet. The draft policy proposes the use of IDNs in Indian languages for all top-level domain names, such as .in, .com, .net, and others. It aims to promote the use of Indian languages on the internet and to make it easier for people to access websites in their preferred languages.[13]
2009 May 8 Hindi service launch Facebook launches its Indic language interface, allowing users to navigate the platform in languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, and Malayalam. This move is thought to be aimed at competing with Orkut, which at the time is the most popular social networking platform in India.[48]
2009 December Software launch Microsoft Indic Language Input Tool is released. It serves as a typing tool (Input Method Editor) that allows users to type directly in Indic scripts, including Devanagari (used for Hindi), without the need for copying and pasting. By providing a virtual keyboard for Indic languages, including Hindi, in any application, it simplifies the process of typing and inputting text. This tool would contribute to the ease of use and accessibility of Hindi language on the web, enabling users to create content, communicate, and engage in online activities in Hindi without the hassle of traditional typing methods.
2009 July 6 Original content (Youtube channel) Ashish Chanchlani launches his Youtube channel Ashish Chanchlani Vines, a comedy channel featuring skits and parodies.[49]
2010 July Background (business) Facebook overtakes Orkut to become the most popular social networking platform in India. Orkut, which was owned by Google, had been the dominant player in the Indian social media market for several years prior to Facebook's entry into the market.[50]
2010 Background (infrastructure) 3G and 4G telecom spectrum are auctioned in India in a highly competitive bidding. The winners are awarded spectrum in September, and Tata Docomo was the first private operator to launch 3G services in the country.[51]
2010 Background (policy) The Gujarat High Court clarifies that Hindi is not the national language of India because the constitution does not mention it as such.[52][53]
2010 October Hindi website launch Indian multinational bank and financial services company ICICI bank launces website in Hindi[54] ICICI opened India's first online banking site in English in 1997.[13]
2011 April 15 Hindi website launch Australia launches a website in Hindi with the purpose to provide better information access to the families of prospective Indian students in Victoria-. This is the world’s first website of a foreign government in Hindi.[55]
2011 April 30 Original content (blog) The first International Hindi Bloggers Conference is inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Mr. Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank in New Delhi. The conference is aimed to bring together Hindi bloggers from all over the world to network, share their experiences, and discuss various issues related to Hindi language blogging.[56]
2011 Background (education) IIT courses are made available online in India. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which are among the most prestigious engineering colleges in India, launch a program called NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) which aims to make high-quality engineering education available to students all over India through the internet. Initially primarily in English, the NPTEL program would since expand to include courses in several Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali.[13]
2011 Statistics India's Internet population is estimated at 100 million users. At the time, the growth of the internet in India is seen as a major opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs, as well as a way to bring new educational and economic opportunities to people across the country.[57][58]
2011 Background (demographics) According to a census, Hindi and its variants are the only major languages to have gained mother tongue adherents over the last 40 years, growing from 36.99% of the population in 1971 to 43.63% by 2011. A large factor in this growth comes from demographic changes.[59]
2011 Statistics Indian language Internet userbase registers a growth to 234 million in 2016 from 42 million in 2011, thereby surpassing English users, according to a study by KPMG and Google. The statistics aggregate across all Indian vernacular languages, including Hindi.[60] This growth mostly comes from mobile phones. From 20 million in 2011, the figure reaches 152 million users accessing Internet over their smartphones.[61]
2011 Background (policy) The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approves 7 Indian language Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) for India.[13]
2011 Background (business) Lectures in India are made available online.[13]
2011 August Software launch (mobile operating system The first Hindi-language version of the Android mobile operating system is launched.[62][63]
2011 Background (demographics) The number of Hindi speakers in India grows to 520 million people, 100 million more than in 2001.[33]
2011 September Hindi website launch The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launches a Hindi version of its web portal on Hindi Diwas, claiming it is a complete translation of the English version, with both versions being in sync with each other. However, the Hindi portal lacks a unique domain, making it difficult to remember for direct access. Additionally, some pages are not completely updated, and the UIDAI related documents, specifications, and other information in .pdf format, have not been translated to date.[64]
2011 September 14 Hindi website launch Twitter launches its Hindi language version on Hindi Diwas, in the same day it is adopted as the official language by India's constituent assembly. However, it does not allow users to tweet in Hindi, since it lacks transliteration support, to convert Roman script text to Indic Devanagri.[65][66][67][68]
2011 December Hindi service launch Yahoo! India's mail service becomes available in eight Indian regional languages, including Hindi.[69]
2011–2016 Statistics The Indian language internet user base grows at a compound annual growth rate of 41% in this period, reaching 234 million users at the end of 2016.[70]
2012 January Hindi website launch SBI Life Insurance launches a multi-lingual website in nine Indian languages, including Hindi, to address the communication needs of the rapidly increasing internet users in India. The company aims to tap into the large insurable population in smaller towns where language is a barrier to internet usage, especially the low understanding of English.[71]
2012 February 13 Original content (Youtube channel) Sandeep Maheshwari launches a motivational and self-help Youtube channel featuring talks and speeches in Hindi.[72]
2012 April Background (infrastructure) Bharti Airtel launches India's first 4G LTE (dongle-based) services in Kolkata. This is a significant milestone for the Indian telecom industry, as 4G LTE technology offers faster data speeds and improved network performance compared to 3G and other older technologies.[73][74][75]
2012 October 24 Original content (Youtube channel) Indian comedian Amit Bhadana launches a comedy channel featuring skits and vlogs.[76] Notable for his parodies and relatable sketches, he would reach global recognition with videos like "Behan Bhai Ki School Life." By 2020, he would become the first Indian YouTuber to surpass 20 million subscribers.[77]
2012 December Hindi website launch WikiHow launches a Hindi language version of the portal at hi.wikihow.com.[78]
2012–2015 Statistics A significant increase in the use of Hindi as a primary language for online searches is evidenced as Hindi search queries triple in this period. The reasons for this increase could vary, such as the growth of Hindi-speaking internet users, an increase in the availability of Hindi content online, or a shift in language preference for online search activities.[79]
2013 April Original content (blog) By this time, there are more than 50,000 Hindi blogs, one fourth of which were written by female bloggers.[80]
2013 June 7 Software launch (text input application) Swarachakra is released. It is a text input application developed for Indic scripts. Swarachakra's functionality allows users to input text in Devanagari script, making it valuable for those creating content, communicating, or browsing in Hindi on the web.[81]
2013 June Background (business) Amazon India launches, marking the entry of Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce company, into the Indian market.[82]
2013 July 3 Original content (Youtube channel) Nikhil Sharma launches Mumbiker Nikhil, a travel and vlogging channel featuring his adventures and experiences in different parts of the world.[83]
2013 July 10 Software launch Jagdeep Singh Dangi, an Associate Professor at Mahatma Gandhi International University, launches Saksham, the first Unicode-based Devanagari Hindi spell-check software. Compatible with Unicode-compliant Windows systems and Microsoft Word, Saksham operates similarly to MS Word's spell-check tool and includes a 69,000-word Hindi database.[84]
2013 August Hindi service launch Google introduces a Hindi handwrite feature for Android devices, allowing users to search in Hindi by writing letters with their fingers or a stylus on the screen. This feature expands the reach of Google's search engine to millions of Indians not proficient in English.[85][86][87][88]
2013 Software launch (application software) Indus OS is launched.[89] It is an Indian mobile application and content discovery platform based in Android. Its objective is to unite users, developers, and smartphone brands on a unified platform, fostering the development of an Indian smartphone ecosystem.
2013–2015 Statistics A significant increase in the use of the internet to access news content in Hindi during this period is evidenced as the number of searches for the Hindi term समाचार (Hindi for “news”) more than doubles in the lapse. This increase in searches for Hindi news could be due to various factors, such as an increase in the number of Hindi-speaking internet users, a shift in language preference for accessing news, or an increase in the availability of Hindi news content online.[79]
2014 January Hindi website launch E-commerce marketplace Snapdeal.com becomes multilingual with its website starting with Hindi and Tamil languages, besides the default English language.[90][91][92]
2014 March Hindi website launch Pinterest launches Hindi version in a move aimed to become more accessible to the Indian market.[93][94]
2014 April Hindi service launch Duolingo, a free language-learning platform with over 28 million users at the time, launches in India, with a focus on teaching English to the country's large population. The app is popular on Android and Apple devices. Duolingo aims to take advantage of India's relatively high smartphone usage at this time.[95]
2014 July 22 Hindi website launch NBA team Sacramento Kings launches a Hindi version of their website, after NBA signs a contract with Sim Bhullar, the first Indian-origin player in the basketball league.[96]
2014 July Hindi service launch Google launches Google Maps in Hindi for its Indian users, which becomes available on the web and mobile app for Android devices. The move is made to make Google Maps more useful to Hindi speaking users in India, and users can enable Hindi as their preferred language in their Google account settings.[97]
2014 August Background (infrastructure) Seven more Indian language domain names go live, as the .भारत (Bharat) domain name, which is written in the Devanagari script, covers a wide range of Indian languages including Bodo, Dogri, Hindi, Konkani, Maithili, Marathi, Nepali, and Sindhi. With the introduction of this domain name, speakers of these Indian languages would be able to create web addresses in their own scripts, helping to increase their visibility and accessibility on the internet.[98]
2014 August Software launch (mobile app) The State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, launches a Hindi version of its mobile application 'State Bank Anywhere'. The app, which was initially launched in English in March and received close to a million downloads, allows users to view account information, make fund transfers within and outside the bank, recharge mobiles or DTH service, and pay bills.[99]
2014 August 26 Original content (Youtube channel) Nikunj Lotia launches Be YouNick, a comedy channel featuring sketches and vlogs.[100]
2014 October 30 Original content (Youtube channel) Ajey Nagar, popularly known as CarryMinati, launches his Youtube channel, in which Nagar would upload recorded video game footage along with his reactions to the game.[101][102][103]
2014 November 3 Hindi service launch Google Voice Search launches in Hindi, making it easier for Hindi-speaking users in India to access information and interact with their devices using voice commands. The move is part of Google's broader efforts to make its services more accessible to Indian users, particularly those who prefer to communicate in languages other than English.[104][105]
2014 November Statistics The number of Internet users in India reaches 250 million by this time.[104]
2014 December Product launch Spice launches India's first Android One smartphone for Hindi speakers, aimed at making smartphones more accessible and affordable to the 300 million Hindi-speaking population in India. The Spice Dream Uno H has a Hindi keyboard and Hindi versions of popular Google products, including Android OS, Chrome, Search, YouTube, and Google Maps.[106]
2015 June 20 Original content (Youtube channel) Bhuvan Bam launches his YouTube channel BB Ki Vines, s comedy channel featuring sketches and vlogs. Bam plays multiple characters in his videos.[107][108]
2015 August Statistics It is estimated that about one in five people (21 per cent) prefers to access Internet in Hindi in India.[57]
2015 August Statistics By this time, there are an estimated 500 million speakers of Hindi, while there are just 100,000 Wikipedia articles. [109][57]
2015 August Software launch (mobile app) Way2Online Interactive India launches an app called Way2News that provides short and summarized news in local languages in a magazine-style format. It is available in Hindi, in addition to Telugu, and English.[110]
2015 October Original content (Youtube channel) Gaurav Chaudhary, known professionally as Technical Guruji, launches gis Youtube channel providing tech-related content and reviews in Hindi.
2015 December Hindi service launch Khan Academy and Central Square Foundation launch Khan Academy-Hindi, a platform for learners to study at their own pace with practice exercises, instructional videos, dashboard analytics and teacher tools. The Hindi platform is available globally and is a step closer to the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.[111][112]
2015 December Hindi service launch Snapdeal, at the time one of the largest e-commerce companies in India, launches a multi-lingual mobile interface in Hindi and Telugu. This move is aimed at catering to the growing demand for e-commerce services in regional languages, especially in India's non-metro cities and towns.[113]
2016 January 30 Hindi website launch Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba Group launches Hindi portal with the purpose to tap small cities and rural areas in India.[114]
2016 Aoril 27 Software launch Indian Text to Speech Private Limited introduces a Hindi Text to Speech (TTS) solution designed for various applications, including contact center Interactive Voice Response (IVR), voice self-services, bulk audio processing, and advanced sound engineering. This TTS technology offers a natural voice in regional Indian languages, improving customer engagement. It includes a specialized naming conversion tool for Indian names and is available via an API. IndianTTS focuses on developing TTS systems for Indian languages with a strong emphasis on natural enunciation.[115]
2016 June 6 Original content Netflix announces Hindi-English series Sacred Games, the first original series from India. It is a neo-noir crime thriller streaming television series based on Vikram Chandra's 2006 novel of the same name.[116]
2016 July 24 Original content (Youtube channel) FactTechz is launched by Rajesh Kumar as a science and technology Youtube channel providing informative and educational content in Hindi.[117]
2016 June 30 Hindi service launch Google rolls out a new tab on Google Search for mobile phones that shows results both in English and Hindi at the same time.[118][119][120]
2016 Statistics According to media reports, 2.4 million people used Hindi in this year for government work, whereas the number of newsreaders in Hindi in the digital medium was 5.5 million.[121][33]
2016 December Hindi website launch Firstpost, India's first and largest digital-only breaking opinions portal, launches its Hindi offering, marking its first entry into the Indian language digital news content space. The website, available at hindi.firstpost.com, aims to offer the same journalistic standards and attributes as its parent brand, with a focus on video content creation tailored to the consumption habits of Hindi-speaking audiences. The launch aims to fill the void of original content made for the new language digital natives and bring the brand's debate culture to India.[122]
2017 February 14 Hindi website launch Indian nonprofit news and opinion website The Wire launches its Hindi edition.[123]
2017 April Statistics A report by Google and KPMG India states that there were 234 million Indian-language internet users in 2016 while only 175 million English users, and the gap between the two groups is expected to widen going forward. The report also suggests that nine out of ten new internet users between 2016 and 2021 would use local languages.[2][124]
2017 April 16 Original content ALTBalaji is launched as an Indian subscription based video on demand platform[125][126], and launches Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat, its first Hindi web series.[127]
2017 May 2 Public opinion A study of 4,612 urban citizens and 2,448 rural Indians by management consultancy KPMG India and Google find that nearly 70% of Indians consider local language digital content more reliable than English content.[128]
2017 July 10 Original content Inside Edge, a sports-drama streaming television series, is made available on Amazon Prime Video, marking the first Hindi-language series to be distributed by Amazon Originals.[129]
2017 July Background (demographics) India becomes the largest country audience for Facebook, overtaking the United States, with 241 million active users compared to 240 million in the US. India's growth more than double that of the US, with active users increasing by 27% in the past six months, compared to 12% in the US. Despite the growth, social media penetration in India remains low with only 19% of the country's population using Facebook in June 2017, compared to 73% in the US and a global average of 42%. The gender imbalance in India's Facebook audience remains, with three-quarters of the active profiles being male, compared to 54% women in the US. The young population also dominates Facebook in India, with more than half of the country's users below 25 years old.[13]
2017 December Original content (TED) TED Talks India is launched, featuring prominent scientists who discuss topics such as neuroscience and astronomy in Hindi.[130]
2018 February 14 Original content ZEE5 is launched in India as a subscription video on demand and over-the-top streaming service, with content in 12 languages.[131] The platform starts streaming web series in the same year with Dhatt Tere Ki (Hindi)[132], along with Nanna Koochi (Telugu), and America Mappillai (Tamil)[133][134]
2018 March 15 Hindi service launch Google officially adds Hindi support to its Google Assistant, allowing non-English speaking users to interact with Google Assistant using commands in Hindi. This update follows Google's expansion of Actions on Google to 16 languages in the previous month, including Hindi.[135]
2018 March 29 Statistics It is reported that more Indians access the Internet in their native language than in English[136], as the country has 234 million Indian language users online, compared to 175 million English users.[137][60][138]
2018 May Hindi service launch Quora launches its services in Hindi, with the purpose to expand its user base in India, a country which at the time accounts for 17.1% of Quora’s total traffic.[139][140][141]
2018 June Hindi website launch Microsoft partners with leading publishers in India to launch MSN Hindi, a free-to-access web service covering news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, astrology, motoring, and weather. Hindi stands as the primary vernacular internet audience in India, constituting almost 50% of the total. Content for MSN Hindi is expected to come from prestigious media brands such as Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan, Aaj Tak, NDTV India, BBC Hindi, Sportskeeda, and Money Bhaskar.[142]
2018 July Statistics At this time, it is calculated that 9 out of 10 new internet users in India are an Indian language user. This encompasses Hindi and other Indian languages altogether.[143]
2018 August 30 Hindi service launch Amazon launches a small pilot wherein the interface features text in Hindi, in what is considered its first move in vernacular languages.[144][145]
2018 September 4 Hindi service launch Amazon launches a Hindi version of its website for Android users in India. The move is aimed at making online shopping more accessible to people who prefer to use Hindi as their primary language for digital communication.[146][147]
2018 September Statistics Momspresso, an Indian user-generated content platform for mothers and young parents, reports that engagement on its Hindi content is 4.2 times much higher than English.[148]
2018 November 13 Hindi service launch Amazon Prime Video adds a Hindi language user interface to its search, navigation, and customer support in order to attract the next 100 million users to its Prime Membership in India.[149][150][151][152]
2018 November 27 Original content over-the-top streaming platform SonyLIV releases The Big Bong Connection, its first Hindi original TV show.[153][154]
2018 December 15 The India Today Group launches Aaj Tak HD, India's first Hindi HD news channel, with a focus on delivering superior picture and audio quality, reduced ad breaks, and exclusive content, particularly in Business, Bollywood, and International News. The channel's launch is part of TV Today Network's strategy to disrupt the Hindi news space and attract premium ad rates by targeting affluent Hindi-speaking viewers.[155][156]
2019 January Hindi website launch The United Nations launches its first news service website in Hindi, in a move that could increase the likelihood of Hindi being recognized as an official language at the UN. This new development comes on the occasion of World Hindi Day and is the first of its kind for a non-UN Asian language. At this time, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish are the six official languages of the United Nations, and for Hindi to become one of them, two-thirds of the United Nations General Assembly must vote in favor.[157][158]
2019 March 6 Software launch (mobile app) Google launches a free app called "Bolo" in India, which is designed to help children learn Hindi and English languages. The app is aimed at children in rural and semi-urban areas who may not have access to quality education or may struggle with language learning.[159][160][161]
2019 March Background (statistics) A report by Kantar IMRB ICUBE shows that the number of internet users in India has exceeded 500 million, reaching 566 million by December 2018, with an annual growth of 18%. 87% of the total user base, or 493 million Indians, are considered regular users, with 293 million residing in urban India and 200 million in rural India. Rural India saw a 35% growth in internet users in 2018, reaching 251 million. The report also highlights that women make up 42% of internet users at this time, who are equally engaged and active in the digital world as men. The highest growth in new internet user additions is found in Bihar, with a growth of 35% over 2018, followed by Orissa.[162]
2019 April 5 Original content Disney+ Hotstar releases Hindi-language crime thriller legal drama web series Criminal Justice, which becomes Hotstar's first Hindi original programming.[163][164]
2019 May Background (statistics) It is calculated that approximately 95% of video consumption in India occurs in regional languages, spanning across all languages spoken in the country. This showcases a significant inclination toward regional content among internet users in India.[165]
2019 May Background (statistics) According to experts, there are more than 200 million Indian internet users who prefer to use vernacular languages online, including Hindi, in comparison to 175 million English language users online.[166] A report by Google reveals that 70% of all smartphone-related searches in India come from Hindi-speaking areas, accounting for 44% of the country's population.[167]
2019 May Software launch (input method) Microsoft releases Phonetic keyboards for 10 Indian languages, including Hindi. These keyboards offer personalized word suggestions based on user behavior, improving text input accuracy. They use transliteration, converting Latin characters into Indian language scripts based on natural pronunciation, simplifying typing for users. Prior to this update, users had to download external tools for Indian language input. This enhancement allows users to work in their native languages without the need for custom hardware keyboards. Microsoft believes this step promotes language inclusivity and improves typing speed and accuracy by at least 20%.[168]
2019 August 14 Hindi service launch Amazon introduces a new feature allowing its users to message in Hindi when interacting with the company for any customer support. The AI tool becomes available for Android version of the Amazon app. The new chat assistant in Hindi is aimed at serving the next 100 million Indians to discover and shop with Amazon.[169]
2019 September 13 Hindi service launch Microsoft Teams starts supporting eight Indian languages, namely Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu.[170]
2019 September 15 Statistics A report states that the number of people who read Hindi on the Internet is growing by 94 per cent every year, with 43.63% of the people in the country are Hindi language speakers.[171]
2019 September Statistics Hindi emerges as the second-most used language globally on Google Assistant, behind just English.[172][173]
2019 September Hindi service launch Amazon announces Hindi support availability on its entire range of Echo devices in India, including Echo Dot, Echo Show 5, Echo, Echo Spot, Echo Plus, Echo Show and Echo Input.[174]
2019 November 6 Hindi service launch Google News starts showing content in English and Hindi at the same time.[175]
2020 February 10 Hindi website launch Indian low-cost airline IndiGo launches Hindi website for customers who want to use it as their language of choice for flight bookings.[176]
2020 June 4 Statistics According to Google, 1 in 3 Indians watch online videos, usually in Hindi.[177][178]
2020 August 7 Hindi service launch Netflix introduces a Hindi user interface, catering to almost half of India's population. Subscribers can switch to Hindi from the "language" option, extending accessibility to users outside India. This move aligns with Netflix's India push, including a slate of 17 new titles. Competitor Amazon Prime Video introduced a Hindi interface in India two years earlier, followed by Tamil and Telugu. The Hindi interface covers the entire Netflix experience, allowing up to five profiles per account with individual language settings.[179][180] [181]
2020 August 25 Hindi service launch Microsoft India expands its Neural Text to Speech (TTS) service by adding Hindi, in addition to English (India) and 13 other languages. This enhancement utilizes advanced AI audio quality, enabling natural-sounding speech with human-like stress patterns and intonation. The Neural TTS service is part of Azure Cognitive Services and converts text into lifelike speech, offering customizable voices and flexible deployment. It finds applications in sectors like telecom, media, retail, and manufacturing, enhancing customer interactions and developing conversational interfaces. Microsoft's Neural TTS supports over 45 languages and variants and is used for chatbots, virtual assistants, audiobook creation, and in-car navigation systems while maintaining data privacy and security.[182]
2020 September 18 Hindi service launch Amazon Alexa becomes available in Hindi, for smartphone users in India. Amazon previously shared that the company added 60 new features to the app since the launch of Hindi support to Alexa last year. Six new Alexa original songs and poems with 20 new stories are now a part of its database.[183]
2020 October Hindi service launch Twitter Topics launches in India in Hindi and English, allowing users to find tweets of their interests directly on the timeline. Within a Hindi Topic, users would be able to see tweets in Devanagari script as well as Hindi speech typed in the Roman alphabet.[184]
2020 October 27 Hindi website launch Republic Media Network announces its expansion into Hindi news in the digital space with the launch of an online platform, in an attempt to expand its digital reach into India.[185]
2021 February Hindi website launch The Goethe-Institut, Germany's cultural institute, launches the Digital Kinderuniversity in Hindi, which uses technology to stimulate children's curiosity and is led by mentors. The program is aimed to be a hybrid model with physical events, integration with school activities, and online learning. The primary objective is to familiarize children with the field of science.[186]
2021 March 4 Hindi service launch Indian e-commerce company Flipkart launches voice search in Hindi in addition to English.[187][188][189]
2021 July 26 Original content Indian over-the-top media streaming service JioCinema releases comedy-drama film Mimi[190], its first original Hindi-language film.[191]
2021 Statistics Hindi Internet user base is likely to outgrow English user base by this year, with projected user base in English at 199 million by which time Indian language Internet user base is expected to be 536 million, or 75 percent of India’s Internet user base,[60] "By 2021, there will be over 500 million users of Indian languages while English users will be less than half the number"[2][165][192][193]and more than 2.5 times of English internet user base.[194][195][70]
2021 December Hindi service launch LinkedIn announces the availability in Hindi, with the purpose to support over 600 million Hindi speakers worldwide. With 82 million members, India is the second largest market for LinkedIn.[196]
2022 September 14 Original content Amazon Prime Video announces Maja Ma, its first Indian Amazon Original Movie. A Hindi film, it is set in Mumbai is produced by Leo Media Collective and Amritpal Singh Bindra, and directed by Anand Tiwari, it revolves around a traditional festival and a colorful Indian wedding. This release marks Prime Video's foray into producing original Hindi movies.[197]
2022 December Hindi website launch English-language daily edition newspaper Business Standard, India's leading business daily, launches its new-look Hindi website, which offers news and information on all aspects of the economy and business.[198]
2023 January Hindi website launch CricketTimes.com launches a dedicated Hindi language website (hindi.crickettimes.com) to cater to the growing number of cricket fans in India who prefer to consume their news and analysis in Hindi. Cricket is the most popular sport in India, both in terms of participation and viewership. It is widely considered to be a religion in the country, with a massive fan following across all age groups and regions.[199][200][201]
2023 March 7 Hindi service launch The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to translate Master of Business Administration courses into various Indian languages, including Hindi. This initiative aims to make MBA education more accessible to students who are more comfortable learning in their native language. The MOU also aims to bridge the language gap that often exists among students from different parts of India.[202]
2023 Hindi website launch Udemy Business launches Hindi courses on its platform, including critical business and technical courses taught by experts in their native language. The courses, which are part of the Udemy Business International Collection, cover categories such as leadership and management, data science, sales, IT operations, cloud computing, finance and accounting, marketing and personal development. The move is aimed at providing skill development opportunities in India and closing skills gaps in the global economy.[203]
2023 August 25 Original content QYOU Media's Hindi channel Q TV introduces an innovative original series called Viral Hua Re, making it the first Hindi General Entertainment Channel to incorporate artificial intelligence for content creation. QYOU Media, operating in India and the United States, specializes in producing and distributing content from social media stars and digital creators. The AI-driven initiative aims to enhance viewer engagement, marking a significant step in AI integration within the Indian entertainment industry. It also aims to attract a broader audience by leveraging AI technology, making it noteworthy for the Hindi language's evolving media landscape.[204]
2023 September 15 Hindi website launch The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) introduces a Hindi version of the Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) portal. This move aims to improve user accessibility and experience for stakeholders in India. FoSCoS is a digital platform used for various food safety-related activities, including licensing, registration, and compliance monitoring. By offering a Hindi version, FSSAI seeks to enhance engagement and understanding among users, making it easier for businesses and individuals in India to navigate and comply with food safety regulations.[205][206]
2023 September 15 Hindi version launch The Pokémon Company and Niantic, Inc. launch Pokémon GO in Hindi, renaming over 800 Pokémon to cater to Indian players and strengthen their commitment to the market. This move, marking Hindi as the sixth language in Asia and 15th globally for the game, aims to enhance user experience and inclusivity.[207][208][209][210]
2023 September 22 Original content Indian streaming service Disney+ Hotstar announces release of a new Hindi original, Tumse Na Ho Payega, featuring Ishwak Singh, Mahima Makwana, and Gaurav Pandey. Amid a decline in subscribers, the platform focuses on locally produced content.[211]
2023 October 4 Hindi service launch The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) launches its mobile application, Delhi Metro Rail, in Hindi, expanding beyond its previous English-only version. The move aligns with DMRC's commitment to the Digital India initiative, enhancing government services with improved online infrastructure and inclusivity. The launch, part of the Hindi Pakhwada activities, signifies DMRC's dedication to promoting the progressive use of Hindi in official works and prioritizing passenger convenience through digital platforms.[212][213]
2023 December 26 Hindi service launch YouTube introduces automatic captions for Hindi videos after a 13-year delay since its initial English launch in 2010. This move aims to enhance accessibility for the hearing-impaired, potentially making millions of Hindi videos accessible. While creators could manually add Hindi subtitles, automatic captioning offers a more widespread solution. The development signals improves data availability and processing for Hindi speech recognition. This update marks a significant step toward inclusivity and accessibility in digital content, and reflects the increasing recognition and support for Hindi content on the web.[214][215][216]

Numerical data

The table below ilustrates the evolution of Indian language internet users between 2016 and 2021 (userbase in millions).[217]

Language Userbase 2016 Userbase 2021
Hindi 19 75
Bengali 4 16
Telugu 4 14
Tamil 5 17
Marathi 4 17
Gujarati 2 8
Kannada 3 12
Malayalam 1 6


Google Scholar

The following table summarizes per-year mentions on Google Scholar as of October 26, 2021.[218]

Language million users  % of user base
Hindi 201 38
Marathi 51 9
Bengali 42 8
Tamil 32 6
Telugu 31 6
Gujarati 26 5
Kannada 25 5
Malayalam 17 3
Other 110 20

The table below shows categories of online activity by Indian language internet users, in millions.[218]

Category 2016 2021
Chat applications 169 396
Digital entertainment 167 392
Social media 115 301
Digital news 106 284
Digital writeups 58 185
Digital payments 47 175
Online government services 41 172
E-tailing 42 165
Digital classifieds 24 100


The table below shows the expected compound annual growth rate of Indian language internet userbase, by category, between 2016 and 2021.[218]

Category Rate
Online govt. services 33%
E-tailing 32%
Digital classifieds 32%
Digital payments 30%
Digital write-ups 26%
Digital news 22%
Social media 21%
Chat applications 19%
Digital entertainment 19%

Meta information on the timeline

How the timeline was built

The initial version of the timeline was written by User:Sebastian.

Funding information for this timeline is available.

Feedback and comments

Feedback for the timeline can be provided at the following places:

  • FIXME

What the timeline is still missing

Timeline update strategy

See also

External links

References

  1. "ATLAS - Hindi: The roots of Hindi". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2023. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Tech Startups, Take Note: More Indians Access The Internet In Their Native Language Than In English". forbes.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  3. Tongue, Hindustani (10 February 2023). "Hindi Language A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering". Hindustani Tongue. Retrieved 24 July 2023. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Hindi Language History". Translation Agency - Renaissance Translations. Retrieved 24 July 2023. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "A brief history of anti-Hindi imposition agitations in India". The Week. Retrieved 16 September 2023. 
  6. "Hindi Diwas 2021: Date, History, Significance and Key Facts". Jagranjosh.com. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022. 
  7. "हिंदी दिवस 2019ः हिंदी के विकास का सफरनामा, हिंदी कैसे बनी भारत के हृदय की भाषा". Amar Ujala (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 25 July 2023. 
  8. "Anti-Hindi movement: The Grassroots Struggle For Tamil Pride". outlookindia.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023. 
  9. D'Monte, Leslie (18 August 2017). "Evolving Internet in India". mint. Retrieved 14 February 2023. 
  10. Sinha, R. Mahesh K. (1 January 2009). "A Journey from Indian Scripts Processing to Indian Language Processing" (PDF). IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 31: 8–26. doi:10.1109/MAHC.2009.1. Retrieved 11 December 2015. 
  11. "Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) @ NewKerala.Com". education.newkerala.com. Retrieved 29 October 2023. 
  12. Syed Fasih Uddin and Quader Unissa Begum (1992). The Modern International Standard Letters of Alphabet for URDU - (HINDUSTANI) - The INDIAN Language, script for the purposes of hand written communication, dictionary references, published material and Computerized Linguistic Communications (CLC). Chicago. 
  13. 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 13.21 13.22 "Timeline of the Internet in India - In Pictures". news18.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  14. Saxena, Aparajita (4 January 2022). "[Techie Tuesday] Meet Rajesh Jain, India's first website creator who sold his news business to Sify for $115M in the country's first dotcom acquisition". YourStory.com. Retrieved 17 February 2023. 
  15. Saxena, Aparajita (4 January 2022). "[Techie Tuesday] Meet Rajesh Jain, India's first website creator who sold his news business to Sify for $115M in the country's first dotcom acquisition". YourStory.com. Retrieved 17 February 2023. 
  16. "The future of Hindi on the Internet". thehoot.org. Retrieved 21 February 2022. 
  17. "20 years on: India's cyber cafes disappearing as pocket internet takes over". Hindustan Times. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2023. 
  18. "Sabeer Bhatia bio". www.its.caltech.edu. Retrieved 17 February 2023. 
  19. "NEW MEDIA: THE INDUSTRY" (PDF). nios.ac.in. Retrieved 17 February 2023. 
  20. "Download All Hindi Fonts | Kruti Dev Stylish Font | कृति देव फोंट्स". hindityping.info. Retrieved 24 November 2023. 
  21. Schmetzer, Martin (4 September 2018). "Kruti Dev 010 Font Free Download". Free Fonts Family. Retrieved 24 November 2023. 
  22. "Webdunia, the ground breaking web portal, turns 17". Webdunia. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  23. "Disclosure". disclosures.ifc.org. Retrieved 17 February 2023. 
  24. Mitra, Sumit; Agrawal, Girish K. (June 2008). "Webdunia: Beating the Downturn". Asian Case Research Journal. pp. 29–55. doi:10.1142/S0218927508001059. Retrieved 1 February 2024. 
  25. "webdunia.com whois lookup - who.is". who.is. Retrieved 1 February 2024. 
  26. "Home". www.kiranfont.com. Retrieved 29 October 2023. 
  27. "rediff.com: IT Act to come into force from Aug 15". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 16 February 2023. 
  28. Dalmia, Vijay Pal (4 March 2021). "Information Technology (Guidelines For Intermediaries And Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021". www.mondaq.com. Retrieved 2023-02-16. 
  29. "Aaj Tak Live TV News - Latest Hindi India News App:Amazon.com:Appstore for Android". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  30. "Dhvani". FOSS Community India. Retrieved 29 October 2023. 
  31. "E manufacturing". slideshare.net. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2023. 
  32. "Prabhasakshi - Overview, News & Competitors | ZoomInfo.com". ZoomInfo. Retrieved 24 April 2022. 
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 "Hindi language hits the Internet, becoming the preferred language of internet". News Track. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2022. 
  34. "Hindi Wikipedia". Wikipedia. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  35. Thompson, William E.; Hickey, Joseph V.; Thompson, Mica L. (20 April 2016). Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-5598-2. 
  36. "Google for India: Past, present, and future". blog.google. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  37. "THE GOOGLE INDIA STORY". impactonnet.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  38. Staff, Edit (16 March 2007). "Google News Launched In Hindi". gigaom.com. Retrieved 11 March 2021. 
  39. Hindi Bloging : Abhivyakti ki Nayi Kranti,Editor- Awinash Bachaspati/Ravindra Prabhat, Publisher-Hindi Sahitya Niketan, Bijnor, India, Year- 2011,Pages: 376
  40. "TATA ZONE LAUNCHED IN HINDI". firstpost.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  41. "Tata Zone on Tata Indicom mobile phones, now in Hindi". domain-b.com. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  42. "Tata Teleservices launches Tata Zone in Hindi". The Economic Times. 5 October 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  43. "Google goes Hindi, launches translation tool". Wired. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  44. "The Economic Times launches in Hindi". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  45. Chopra, Author Paras (17 July 2008). "Hindi's First Social Network - Kindo.com Launches in Hindi". Inverted Passion. Retrieved 28 November 2023. 
  46. "Barclays launches its Hindi website". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  47. "Barclays launches its Hindi website". Rediff. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  48. Pahwa, Nikhil (8 May 2009). "Facebook Launches Indian Language Interface; No Transliteration Yet". MediaNama. Retrieved 10 June 2023. 
  49. "ashish chanchlani vines - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  50. FitzsimmonsAugust 25, Caitlin. "Facebook Overtakes Orkut In India". adweek.com. Retrieved 5 October 2022. 
  51. Experts, Disha (24 April 2019). Cracking IAS Prelims Revision Files – General Science & Technology (Vol. 6/9). Disha Publications. p. 58. 
  52. "There's no national language in India: Gujarat High Court". The Times of India. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2023. 
  53. "Hindi, not a national language: Court". The Hindu. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2023. 
  54. "ICICI Bank launches website in Hindi". icicibank.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023. 
  55. "Australia launches Hindi website for Indian students". @businessline. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  56. "News in Hindi". Hindi Media. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013. 
  57. 57.0 57.1 57.2 "Hindi content consumption on internet growing at 94%: Google". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 March 2021. 
  58. "Hindi content consumption on internet growing at 94%: Google". Business Today. Retrieved 9 March 2022. 
  59. Jebaraj, Priscilla (20 September 2021). "Hindi gains ground via a demographic shift". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 March 2022. 
  60. 60.0 60.1 60.2 "All you need to know about the Indian language Internet user base". english.manoramaonline.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  61. "Hindi content consumption on internet growing at 94%: Google". businesstoday.in. Retrieved 18 January 2020. 
  62. "Samsung creating Hindi version of Android". https://www.facebook.com/VARINDIAMagazine. Retrieved 14 September 2023.  External link in |website= (help)
  63. "Hindi version of Android?". The Mobile Indian. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2023. 
  64. Saxena, Anupam (15 September 2011). "Aadhaar Hindi Website Launched". MediaNama. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  65. Saxena, Anupam (14 September 2011). "Twitter Launches Hindi Edition; Mobile?". MediaNama. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  66. "Hindi Diwas: Twitter launches Hindi version". The Times of India. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  67. "Five new languages". blog.twitter.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  68. "5 New languages - twitter". CONNECTwww.com. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  69. "Yahoo Mail now available in eight Indian regional languages". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  70. 70.0 70.1 "No English Only Vinglish: 90% New Internet Users Coming Online In India Are Non-English Speakers". Inc42 Media. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  71. "SBI Life launches multi-lingual website in nine languages". Moneylife NEWS & VIEWS. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  72. "Sandeep Maheshwari - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 3 March 2023. 
  73. "Airtel launches 4G in Kolkata". The Times of India. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2023. 
  74. "Bharti Airtel rolls out India's first 4G service". The Economic Times. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2023. 
  75. "Bharti Airtel rolls out India's first 4G service". The Economic Times. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  76. "Amit Bhadana - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 3 March 2023. 
  77. Mollah, Mashum (20 September 2023). "Amit Bhadana: Age, Biography, Net Worth, Personal Life". Mashum Mollah. Retrieved 24 November 2023. 
  78. Chaudhary, Apurva (6 December 2012). "How-To Guide WikiHow Launches A Hindi Version". MediaNama. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  79. 79.0 79.1 "Why Hindi Matters in the Digital Age". thinkwithgoogle.com. Retrieved 27 August 2019. 
  80. "Blogging in Hindi for 10 years, city folk win laurels". The Times of India. Retrieved 2014-06-11. 
  81. "Now, an app that helps you text in Konkani". The Times of India. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2023. 
  82. Dalal, Mihir (20 May 2016). "The rise and rise of Amazon". mint. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  83. "Mumbiker Nikhil - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 3 March 2023. 
  84. Gaur, Preeti (10 July 2015). "The first Hindi language spell-check software". PCQuest. Retrieved 16 September 2023. 
  85. Srivastava, Moulishree (21 August 2013). "Google launches Hindi handwrite feature for Android devices". mint. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  86. Desk, India TV News (22 August 2013). "Google's support for Hindi extends to Search, Chrome and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  87. "Google Translate Now Detects Hindi Handwriting". www.indiansinkuwait.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  88. Weiss, Todd R. (22 November 2013). "Google Expands Its Google Translate App for Android". eWEEK. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  89. "Indus OS | LinkedIn". in.linkedin.com. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2023. 
  90. "Snapdeal goes multilingual, launches Hindi and Tamil versions". techcircle.in. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  91. "Snapdeal goes multilingual with Hindi and Telugu". Business Today. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  92. "Snapdeal goes multilingual, launches Hindi and Tamil versions". Techcircle. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  93. "Pinterest Launches Hindi Version For Indian Users". Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  94. "Pinterest now available in Hindi - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  95. Bora, Kukil (24 April 2014). "Duolingo Launches In India: CEO Explains How App Offers Free Language Education To Millions [Q&A]". International Business Times. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  96. Ugra, Sharda. "Here is why the NBA's Sacramento Kings just launched a website in Hindi". Quartz. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  97. "Google Maps now available in Hindi, voice navigation coming soon". digit. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  98. "Internet Domain Names in 7 Indian Languages Soon". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 18 February 2023. 
  99. India, Press Trust of. "SBI launches Hindi version of its app 'State Bank Anywhere' | India.com". www.india.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  100. "Be YouNick - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 3 March 2023. 
  101. Hemrajani, Nikhil (31 March 2017). "The Indian gaming stars who catch your eye". Mint. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019. 
  102. "10 lesser-known facts about controversial YouTuber Ajey Nagar aka CarryMinati". in.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-06. 
  103. "CarryMinati - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  104. 104.0 104.1 "Hindi web consumption grows at over 90%, so does Google services". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 18 March 2021. 
  105. "Google launches voice search in Hindi". Business Standard India. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  106. "Spice launches Hindi-based Android smartphone at Rs 6499". The Indian Express. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2022. 
  107. Goyal, Malini (8 May 2016). "Meet India's top 10 YouTube superstars". The Times of India. Bennet, Coleman, & Co. Retrieved 21 July 2017. 
  108. "BB Ki Vines - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  109. "Hindi content consumption on Internet growing at 94%; 1 in 5 Indian users prefer Hindi: Google". News18. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2022. 
  110. Reporter, B. S. (4 August 2015). "Way2Online launches news app in Indian languages". Business Standard India. Retrieved 26 May 2022. 
  111. "Khan Academy and Central Square Foundation Launch Khan Academy in Hindi". edtechreview.in. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  112. "Khan Academy launches Hindi portal for India". Inshorts - Stay Informed. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  113. Gooptu, Biswarup. "Snapdeal launches multi-lingual mobile interface in Hindi and Telugu". The Economic Times. Retrieved 26 May 2022. 
  114. "Alibaba launches Hindi portal to tap small cities, rural areas in India". Business Today. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  115. Ltd, Indian Text to Speech Pvt. "IndianTTS Launches Hindi Text to Speech Solution". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 16 September 2023. 
  116. "Netflix Announces First Original Series from India in Partnership with Phantom Films Based on the Critically Acclaimed Novel Sacred Games". about.netflix.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023. 
  117. "FactTechz - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  118. "Google rolls out new tab to search in English and Hindi". The Hindu. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2021. 
  119. "Google rolls out new tab to search in English and Hindi". India Today. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  120. Service, Tribune News. "Google rolls out new tab to search in English and Hindi". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 19 February 2023. 
  121. "Hindi language hits the Internet, becoming the preferred language of internet". News Track. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2021. 
  122. Bureau, MN4U. "Firstpost expands digital news offering with Firstpost Hindi launch". www.medianews4u.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  123. K, Brindaalakshmi (14 February 2017). "The Wire launches a Hindi website with Brijesh Singh heading it". MediaNama. Retrieved 18 March 2021. 
  124. "9 of the 10 new internet users today are Indian language users: Google". BG Mahesh | mahesh.com. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  125. "ALT Balaji Web Series Web Series Watch Online". Play Desi. Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  126. Bureau, MN4U (9 May 2017). "ALTBalaji and PayPal partner to enable online payments for international subscribers". MediaNews4U. Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  127. "Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat". imdb.com. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  128. Bhattacharya, Ananya. "India's internet users have more faith in content that's not in English". Quartz. Retrieved 18 February 2022. 
  129. "Inside Edge on Amazon Prime Video: Journey so far". www.themobileindian.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  130. Barath, Harini (10 June 2019). "Indian initiatives aim to break science's language barrier". Nature. pp. 289–290. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-01815-1. Retrieved 12 April 2021. 
  131. "With Ditto TV, Zee eyes a game-changer". DNA India. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  132. "ZEE5". comingsoon.zee5.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-12. 
  133. "America Mappillai: A ZEE5 Originals Tamil Web Series". www.desiblitz.com. Retrieved 2018-04-17. 
  134. "ZEE5 launches its first Tamil original series 'America Mappillai'". www.desiblitz.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018. 
  135. "Google Assistant Now Available in Hindi". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 18 March 2021. 
  136. Baxi, Abhishek. "Tech Startups, Take Note: More Indians Access The Internet In Their Native Language Than In English". Forbes. Retrieved 19 April 2021. 
  137. Desk, Tech Observer (25 April 2017). "Indian language users to rule Internet in India: Google-KPMG report". Tech Observer. Retrieved 18 February 2023. 
  138. Baxi, Abhishek. "Tech Startups, Take Note: More Indians Access The Internet In Their Native Language Than In English". Forbes. Retrieved 13 March 2021. 
  139. "Quora launches in Hindi; other Indian languages planned". medianama.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  140. "Quora launches in Hindi". www.fortuneindia.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021. 
  141. Mumbai, BestMediaInfo Bureau. "Quora launches in Hindi". www.bestmediaifo.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021. 
  142. "MSN now available in Hindi". Microsoft Stories India. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  143. "Indian languages are storming the Internet in India, 9 out of 10 new users to be an Indian language user". Express Computer. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2021. 
  144. "Amazon India starts small pilot for mobile site in Hindi". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 13 October 2020. 
  145. "Amazon India starts small pilot for mobile site in Hindi - Economic Times". www.indiaecommercebrief.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021. 
  146. "Quora launches in Hindi; other Indian languages planned". medianama.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  147. Mehta, Ivan (4 September 2018). "Amazon launches a Hindi site to lure India's next 100 million online shoppers". The Next Web. Retrieved 10 March 2021. 
  148. "This Hindi Diwas, let's localise the Internet for India". Qrius. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2021. 
  149. "Amazon adds Hindi language support for Prime Video". Hindustan Times Tech. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2021. 
  150. "Amazon Prime Video adds Hindi language support". thequint.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  151. "AMAZON PRIME VIDEO ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF HINDI LANGUAGE SUPPORT TO ITS INTERFACE". zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  152. "AMAZON PRIME VIDEO ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF HINDI LANGUAGE SUPPORT TO ITS INTERFACE". firstpost.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023. 
  153. "SonyLIV and Mojo Productions announce their new web series 'The Big Bong Connection'". IWMBuzz. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  154. "List of Sonyliv Originals". sonyliv.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  155. "India Today Group launches Aaj Tak HD, India's first HD Hindi News Channel - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 5 December 2023. 
  156. Delhi, BestMediaInfo Bureau (13 December 2018). "TV Today to launch Aaj Tak HD with differentiated programming and 4-minute ad cap: Best Media Info". www.bestmediainfo.com. Retrieved 5 December 2023. 
  157. "In first, United Nations launches Hindi website". WION. Retrieved 18 March 2021. 
  158. Jan 13, TNN / Updated:. "Hindi in limelight as UN launches website | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  159. Mehta, Ivan (2019-03-06). "Google built a free app to teach Hindi and English to kids in India". TNW | In. Retrieved 19 May 2021. 
  160. "Google's Bolo App Seeks to Help Rural Indian Kids Enhance Reading Skills". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 28 February 2022. 
  161. "2019, Google launched an app called "Bolo" in India - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023. 
  162. "India's internet base crosses 500 million mark". livemint.com. Retrieved 14 February 2023. 
  163. "क्रिमिनल जस्टिस". TV Time (in español). Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  164. "Criminal Justice Season 1 Web Series (2019) | Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Watch Online at Disney+ Hotstar". Gadgets 360. Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  165. 165.0 165.1 "'95% of video consumption in India is in regional languages; Hindi internet users will outnumber English users by 2021'". Times of India Blog. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2021. 
  166. "Indian languages online—the next stop for internet growth". The Week. Retrieved 2 March 2022. 
  167. "Most Of India Prefers Using Hindi For Search, Says Google". Inc42 Media. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2022. 
  168. "Windows 10 latest update brings Phonetic Indic keyboards in 10 Indian languages". mint. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2023. 
  169. Aug 14, TIMESOFINDIA COM. "Shoppers can now chat in Hindi on Amazon app - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 March 2022. 
  170. "Microsoft Teams Add 8 Indian Languages for Mobile Users". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 23 March 2021. 
  171. "Hindi language hits the Internet, becoming the preferred language of internet". News Track. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2022. 
  172. "Hindi second-most used 'Assistant' language globally, says Google". The Hindu. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021. 
  173. "Hindi second-most used 'Assistant' language globally, says Google". The Economic Times. Retrieved 8 April 2021. 
  174. Singh, Mukul Yudhveer (23 September 2019). "Amazon has Added Hindi Language Support in Echo Devices". ACE. Retrieved 24 April 2022. 
  175. "Google News now shows content in English and Hindi at the same time". Hindustan Times Tech. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2021. 
  176. "IndiGo launches Hindi website for flight bookings". The Hindu. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  177. June 2020, TechRadar India Bureau 04. "1 in 3 Indians watch online videos, usually in Hindi, says Google". TechRadar. Retrieved 7 April 2021. 
  178. "1 out of 3 Indians watches online video; Hindi most preferred language: Google". Zee Business. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2021. 
  179. "Netflix introduces Hindi interface to widen audience base in India". livemint.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020. 
  180. Ravindran, Manori; Ravindran, Manori (7 August 2020). "Netflix Launches Hindi Userface in India, Available Globally". Variety. Retrieved 9 March 2021. 
  181. "Netflix is now available in Hindi". About Netflix. Retrieved 3 March 2023. 
  182. Stories, Microsoft (25 August 2020). "Microsoft introduces Hindi and English (India) to Neural Text-to-Speech service". Microsoft Stories India. Retrieved 16 September 2023. 
  183. World, Republic. "Amazon Alexa app is finally available in Hindi for Android and iOS". Republic World. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  184. "Twitter Topics Launched in India in Hindi and English to Connect People With Their Interests". News18. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  185. "Republic Media expands presence in online news space, launches in Hindi language". Indian Television Dot Com. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021. 
  186. "Goethe-Institut launches Digital Kinderuniversity in Hindi". Financialexpress. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  187. NewsDesk, Digit (5 March 2021). "Flipkart launches Voice Search in Hindi and English: Here's how it works | Digit". digit.in. Retrieved 20 March 2021. 
  188. "Flipkart launches Voice Search in English, Hindi languages: Here's how it works". The Indian Express. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021. 
  189. Abrar, Peerzada (4 March 2021). "Flipkart starts voice search in Hindi and English to tap next 200 mn users". Business Standard India. Retrieved 11 September 2021. 
  190. "Mimi: Kriti Sanon's film releases four days early after online leak". Hindustan Times. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  191. "JioCinema". Wikipedia. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  192. "ShareChat to hire 100-150 people; further strengthen presence in tier II cities". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020. 
  193. "Indian Language Internet Users to Reach 536 Million by 2021: Google". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  194. "Indian Languages - Defining India's Internet - KPMG India". KPMG. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 29 May 2021. 
  195. "Hindi internet users to outnumber English by 2021: Report". Inshorts - Stay Informed. Retrieved 23 February 2022. 
  196. "LinkedIn now available in Hindi". The Hindu. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022. 
  197. "Prime Video Announces its First Indian Amazon Original Movie Maja Ma Premiering Worldwide on 6 October". apnnews.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023. 
  198. "Business Standard launches its new-look Hindi website". afaqs!. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  199. Jan 29, EIN Presswire. "CricketTimes.com Launches Dedicated Hindi Language Website for Cricket News". abc4.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  200. "CricketTimes.com Launches Dedicated Hindi Language Website for Cricket News". User Walls. 29 January 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  201. "CricketTimes.com Launches Dedicated Hindi Language Website for Cricket News". CricketTimes.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  202. "IGNOU signs MOU with AICTE to translate MBA courses in various Indian languages". Hindustan Times. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023. 
  203. "Udemy Business launches courses in Hindi for skill development opportunities in India". Financialexpress. Retrieved 2 March 2023. 
  204. "QYOU Media's Q TV Launches New Original Series Deploying AI Anchor". Yahoo Finance. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023. 
  205. "FSSAI launches Hindi version of FoSCoS portal to enhance user experience - ET Government". ETGovernment.com. Retrieved 16 September 2023. 
  206. "FNB News - FSSAI to launch Hindi version of FoSCoS boosting user experience | FNB News". www.fnbnews.com. Retrieved 16 September 2023. 
  207. "Pokémon GO Game Launches in Hindi". Anime News Network. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023. 
  208. "Hindi language support for Pokémon GO! Celebrate with special events!". Pokémon GO. Retrieved 5 December 2023. 
  209. "Pokémon goes Desi, company launches Pokemon Go in Hindi with Niantic". DNA India. Retrieved 5 December 2023. 
  210. Ahmed, Nabeel (16 September 2023). "Pokémon GO launches support for Hindi language, gives popular Pokémons Hindi names". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 December 2023. 
  211. Jha, Lata (22 September 2023). "Disney+ Hotstar announces new Hindi original 'Tumse Na Ho Payega'". mint. Retrieved 5 December 2023. 
  212. "DMRC launches Hindi version of Delhi Metro Rail app". The Times of India. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023. 
  213. "DMRC launches Hindi version of Delhi Metro Rail app". housing.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023. 
  214. Deep, Aroon (26 December 2023). "YouTube Launches Hindi Auto-Captioning Feature after 13 years". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  215. "13 years later, Hindi auto-captioning launched for YouTube". Ground News. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  216. Tasleem, Rafia (26 December 2023). "YouTube Rolls Out Automatic Captions for Hindi Videos: A Step Towards Inclusivity". BNN Breaking. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 
  217. "Indian Languages –Defining India's Internet" (PDF). assets.kpmg. Retrieved 23 May 2022. 
  218. 218.0 218.1 218.2 Bhattacharya, Ananya. "India's internet users have more faith in content that's not in English". Quartz. Retrieved 26 October 2021.