New Delhi: The Union Cabinet approved granting 'classical language' status to five additional languages on Thursday: Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit, and Assamese. With this cabinet decision, the number of languages with official status has increased to 12.

Eligibility For Obtaining Classical Language Status

The early texts/recorded history of the language have a long history of 1,500-2,000 years.

An ancient collection of literature/texts valued as a legacy by numerous generations of individuals who speak the language.

Texts containing knowledge, including prose, poetry, epigraphical, and inscriptional evidence.

Classical languages and literature may differ from their modern form or be disconnected from later forms of their derivatives.

Out of the five recently developed classical languages, Assamese, Bengali, and Marathi have a large number of speakers, while Pali is spoken in certain regions in India, as well as Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is the language in which Buddha delivered his teachings and is also offered in certain universities, like those in Allahabad and Patna.

What Is Classical Languages Status?

Shastriya Bhasha, also called Indian classical languages, are languages with a rich literary heritage, deep historical roots, and a distinct cultural significance. The intellectual and cultural advancement of the region has been greatly influenced by these languages, as their texts provide valuable insights into literature, philosophy, and religion.

Why Is Classical Language Status Important?

To asfguard India's rich cultural legacy, the 11 classical languages signify significant historical and cultural achievements for their respective societies. Their literary and philosophical heritage has had a significant impact on a wide range of literary genres and styles.

In order to support and conserve these linguistic riches, the Indian government founded the Center of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages at the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) located in Mysore.

In 2004, the Indian government acknowledged the significance of protecting these ancient languages by categorizing them as "Classical Languages" if they met certain criteria.

Advantages Of Classical Language Status

According to government sources, the Ministry of Education has implemented multiple measures to encourage the study of classical languages. This involves setting up three Central Universities to support Sanskrit and the Central Institute of Classical Tamil for translating ancient Tamil texts, encouraging research, and providing courses for university students and scholars of Tamil language.

The Central Institute of Indian Languages in Mysuru also established Centers of Excellence for the study of classical Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia.

According to the sources, numerous national and international awards have been established to acknowledge and promote accomplishments in classical languages. They also mentioned that the new ancient languages will receive national awards, university chairs, and promotional centers established for them in the future.

PM Modi Took It To X

After the announcements of new languages added to the classical language status, PM Modi took it to X to express his thoughts and share the decision taken by the Union Cabinet October 3 night.

State Ministers Express Gratitude

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed approval for granting classical language status to Bengali in a post on X.

"Most happy to share that Bengali/ Bangla has been finally accorded the status of a classical language by Government of India. We had been trying to snatch this recognition from Ministry of Culture, GOI and we had submitted three volumes of research findings in favour of our contention. Union government has accepted our well-researched claim today evening and we finally reach the cultural apex in the body of languages in India."

Assam's chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, showed his appreciation on X for the recognition of Assamese as a classical language.

"ASSAMESE IS NOW A CLASSICAL LANGUAGE On behalf of the people of Assam, I extend my gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji and the entire Union Cabinet for the historic decision to accord Assamese the status of Classical Language. Assamese joins a select group of languages to enjoy this status." Sarma said in a lengthy post.

In other posts, he has congratulated other languages that were awarded with the Classical Language status on October 3.

Maharashtra's Struggles To Be On The List

In 2014, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan established a committee of language specialists, which included Marathi experts. The committee officially declared Marathi as meeting the requirements to be classified as a classical language and forwarded the report to the Central government.

At the end of last month, Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of neglecting the request to give classical language status to Marathi.

During the Prime Minister's time in office, no languages have been granted classical language status. Jairam Ramesh had stated that for a decade, he had not taken any action on the compelling case presented by the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, on July 11, 2014, to designate Marathi as a classical language of India.

The request has finally been met right before the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

They also mentioned that this will lead to a substantial increase in job prospects, not just in the field of research but also for tasks related to protecting, recording, and converting their historical documents into digital format.

List Of Classified Classic Languages In India

Earlier, the languages with the tag included Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Farsi, and Odia. Tamil received the status in 2004 and Farsi became the last language to be granted it in 2024.