Kritika Agrawal, language champion for Oxford’s Hindi Living Dictionary, says that the Hindi word of the year is a big leap forward for the Hindi language as it aims to highlight the social and cultural relevance of Hindi in the current context.

“It is the campaign’s endeavour to alter perceptions about languages being a living intangible heritage and not merely a static tool of communication. I am delighted to be a part of, and to promote, a wonderful initiative as this,” she says.

Oxford has been creating dictionaries for over 150 years and its dictionary editors in India and around the world have developed expertise in monitoring how language is used by real people.

“To further supplement our research we’re both calling on Hindi speakers across India to send us their word of the year suggestions and consulting with a panel of experts from a range of backgrounds,” it says.