Hindi in Myanmar (Burma)


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Identity

Hindi is not the name of a specific ethnic group; rather, it is a regional language spoken as the first language by approximately 700 different people groups around the world and as a second language by over 1,000 more groups.3 The name Hindi comes from ancient Persian, denoting someone who comes from “Hind” (India) or from the Indus River basin. Hindi speakers have been in Myanmar almost 140 years and have made a strong contribution to society. Although Hindi is the national language of India, it is only the fourth most spoken Indian language in Myanmar after Bengali (300,000), Tamil (148,000), and Telugu (147,000).

Location: An estimated 140,000 Hindi-speaking people live in Myanmar. They are scattered near urban areas, especially Yangon and Mandalay. Surprisingly, half of all Hindi speakers in Myanmar inhabit about 40 villages near the small town of Zeyawaddy in the Taungoo District of Bago Region, 134 miles (215 km) north of Yangon. The Hindi population in Myanmar has decreased since the 1931 census, when 174,967 "Hindustani" people were recorded, as many families moved back to India during tumultuous times. Hindi is the lingua franca (common speech) in 15 states and union territories of India, including New Delhi. Although 602 million people in India can speak Hindi, 339 million speak it as their first language, and an additional 263 million use it as a second language. Hindi is also an official language in five countries, including South Africa and Fiji, and is spoken in dozens of other nations around the world.

Language: Since 1950 Hindi has been the official national language of India and is the fourth most spoken language in the world after Mandarin, English, and Spanish. Many Hindi words are borrowed from the Sanskrit language, and it is written in the Devanagari script.


History

The tens of thousands of Hindi speakers in the small town of Zeyawaddy are the descendants of settlers who came from India over a century ago after the British offered large tracts of land to Indian rulers who would clear the jungle and make it productive. In Zeyawaddy, 18,340 acres were granted and over time, rice paddies and sugarcane were planted. The first Hindi migrants were 3,500 farmers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who came in 1889, with another wave of 4,000 farmers arriving in 1902. In 1934 a sugar mill was shipped from Britain, which produced 2,500 tons of sugar annually until it was taken over by the Burmese government in 1954. The families of those original settlers still live in Zeyawaddy. The early 1930s marked the height of Indian influence in Myanmar, with more than one million settlers throughout the country. In 1965, “when all business concerns, land, banks and schools, including those owned by Indians, were nationalized by the Burmese government, around 2,000 families from Zeyawaddy went back to Bihar.”


Customs

The caste system, with its innumerable sub-castes which governed Hindu life in India for countless centuries is also practiced among Hindi speakers in Myanmar, dividing them into many social and occupational groups according to a hierarchical order based on the principles of "purity and pollution." Brahmins are at the top of the hierarchy and serve as priests and scholars. Marriage seldom takes place between people of different castes.


Religion

Almost all Hindi speakers in Myanmar are Hindus, while 1,500 are Muslims and a similar number are Christians. Few families have ever taken the bold step of breaking away to become Christians, as it almost certainly means they will be ostracized from their communities and face an uncertain future.


Christianity

The 1931 Burma census recorded 687 Hindi-speaking Christians in the country, or one out of every 250 people. The rest were Hindus and Muslims. Things have scarcely improved for the Gospel since that time, and the Hindi remain one of the least reached and most unevangelized groups in Myanmar today. Most have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the South Asian, Hindi in Myanmar (Burma).


Profile Source:   Asia Harvest  

People Name General Hindi
People Name in Country South Asian, Hindi
Natural Name Hindi
Pronunciation HIN-dee
Alternate Names Bazaar; East Indian; High Hindi; Hindustani; Indo-Pakestani; North Indian; Manak Hindi
Population this Country 140,000
Population all Countries 2,761,000
Total Countries 17
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 3
PeopleID3 12106
ROP3 Code 103789
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Yangon Region; Mandalay Region; Bago Region: Pyu Township in Taungoo District   Source:  Asia Harvest Myanmar prayer profiles
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Yangon Region; Mandalay Region; Bago Region: Pyu Township in Taungoo District.   Source:  Asia Harvest Myanmar prayer profiles

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Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.26 %)
0.71 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
86.79 %
Islam
10.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
2.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Hindi (140,000 speakers)
Language Code hin   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Hindi (140,000 speakers)
Language Code hin   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Hindi

Primary Language:  Hindi

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1806-1962)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1811-1998)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1818-2022)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings DAVAR Partners recording, Old Testament DAVAR Partners International
Audio Recordings Online Audio Scripture Talking Bibles
Audio Recordings Oral Bible stories One Story
Film / Video Following Jesus video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Hindi Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Love letter to you from scripture Father's Love Letter
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video My Last Day video, anime Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Rivka video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Rock International: King of Glory Rock International
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children Jesus Film Project
Film / Video The Hope Video Mars Hill Productions
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible and Resources in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible and Resources in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible and Resources in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Bible in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Gospel website in this language General / Other
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links (Hindi) Scripture Earth
General Voice of the Martyrs resources Voice of the Martyrs
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
General Zume Resources Zume Project
General Zume Training Zume Project
Mobile App Android Bible app direct APK download (Hindi) SIL
Mobile App Android Bible app: Bibles India Internet Publishing Sevice
Mobile App Android Bible app: Gospel Films (South Asia) Shalom Design S2dio
Mobile App Android Bible app: Hindi YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible App: Hindi Bible (हिंदी बाइबिल) Indian Revised Version (IRV) Operation Agape
Mobile App Android Bible app: Hindi Study Bible Grace Ministries and Dusty Sandals
Mobile App Android Bible app: Hindi Word General / Other
Mobile App Android Bible app: Sab Ki Bible Grace Ministries and Dusty Sandals
Mobile App Android Bible app: पवित्र बाइबिल Hindi Bible Biblica
Mobile App Android Bible Radio app: Hindi Bible Radio Shalom Design S2dio
Mobile App Android Book Reading app: Ek Rasta (Bible training) General / Other
Mobile App Android Book Reading app: Ek Rasta Hindi (Bible training) General / Other
Mobile App Android Book Reading app: JM Hindi General / Other
Mobile App Android Book Reading app: Open Bible Stories (Hindi) Shalom Design S2dio
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App Download audio Bible app from Google Play Store Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App Download audio Bible app from Google Play Store Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Hindi YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Hindi Unlocked Literal Bible Kalaam Media Ltd
Text / Printed Matter Bible: Comic Book Version Super Bible / Comic Bible Society
Text / Printed Matter Children and youth resources One Hope
Text / Printed Matter Christ for the Nations General / Other
Text / Printed Matter Hindi Bible General / Other
Text / Printed Matter Jesus Messiah comic book General / Other
Text / Printed Matter Literacy primer for Hindi Literacy & Evangelism International
Text / Printed Matter The Ancient Path Live Global
Text / Printed Matter tools for gospel conversations Cru
Text / Printed Matter Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies World Missionary Press
Photo Source Sonam Prajapati - Pixabay 
Profile Source Asia Harvest 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.