Abstract
The article deals with the Hindi language and its use as a language for official purposes from the late Middle Ages until its implementation in the Constitution of India in the year 1949. It reveals various ideas for promoting Hindi as a national (official) language of India. The main focus is on the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi on Hindi as the lingua franca of India and its role in the replacement of English. Further it describes the process and struggle of its implementation as the official language in the Constituent Assembly of India and concludes with the compromise made by this Assembly.