Marathi, Bengali, 3 more languages get classical language status

The Union Cabinet on Thursday (October 3) approved conferring classical language status to Pali, Prakrit, Bengali, Marathi, and Assamese languages.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Custodian of India’s cultural heritage

Classical languages serve as a custodian of Bharat’s profound and ancient cultural heritage, embodying the essence of each community’s historical and cultural milestone, the government said.

In a statement, it said the inclusion of Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali and Marathi in the classical language category will create significant employment opportunities, particularly in academic and research fields.

Additionally, the preservation, documentation and digitisation of ancient texts of these languages will generate jobs in archiving, translation, publishing and digital media, the government said.

The primary states involved are Maharashtra (Marathi), Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (Pali and Prakrit), West Bengal (Bengali), and Assam (Assamese), while the broader cultural and academic impact will extend nationally and internationally, the statement said.

PM’s tweet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “extremely glad” the Union Cabinet has conferred classical language status on Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit, and asserted his government cherishes India’s rich history and culture.

In a post on X, the prime minister said, “Our Government cherishes and celebrates India’s rich history and culture. We have also been unwavering in our commitment to popularising regional languages. I am extremely glad the Cabinet has decided that Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit will be conferred the status of Classical Languages.”

Marathi India’s pride: Modi

Modi said each of them are beautiful languages, highlighting India’s vibrant diversity.

Marathi is India’s pride, he said, as he congratulated people on this “phenomenal language” being accorded the status of a classical language.

The prime minister said, “This honour acknowledges the rich cultural contribution of Marathi in our nation’s history. Marathi has always been a cornerstone of Indian heritage.” With the status of a classical language, more people will be motivated to learn it, he said.

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“Timeless influence” on Indian thought, culture, history

In another post, Modi said, “I am very happy that the great Bengali language has been conferred the status of a Classical Language, especially during the auspicious time of Durga Puja.” Bengali literature has inspired countless people for years, he said.

Lauding the Assamese languages, Modi said, “Assamese culture has thrived for centuries, and it has given us a rich literary tradition. May this language continue to become even more popular in the times to come.”

Pali and Prakrit are at the root of India’s culture, the prime minister said, describing them as languages of spirituality, wisdom and philosophy.

“They are also known for their literary traditions. Their recognition as Classical Languages honours their timeless influence on Indian thought, culture and history,” he said, expressing confidence that more people will be motivated to learn about them.

State govt worked hard for this: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her delight over Bengali being conferred the status of classical language and said the state government had been actively working to secure this recognition from the Centre and had submitted extensive research to support their case.

“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,” Mamata said in a post on X.

Governor CV Ananda Bose also welcomed the Centre’s decision and announced the “Durga Bengal Award” of Rs 5 lakh to recognise an institution or an individual for contributing to the Bengali language and culture.

Will be able to better preserve mother tongue: Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Centre’s recognition of the Assamese language as a classical one, and said the step will help preserve his mother tongue in a better way.

“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,” Sarma said in a post on X.

“With today’s decision we shall be able to better preserve our beloved mother tongue, that not only unites our society but also forms an unbroken link to the ancient wisdom of Assam’s saints, thinkers, writers and philosophers,” the CM said.

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Shinde, deputies hail decision

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar also hailed the Centre’s decision to confer “classical language” tag on Marathi and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the move one of immense joy and pride. “Marathi is a language that has not only given rich literature but also has always boosted our determination to live as a free nation,” Shah said on X. “My heartiest congratulations to our Marathi sisters and brothers on the occasion,” he added in the post.

Shinde said his government had constantly followed up on the issue.

“This is a golden letter day. On behalf of the 12 crore people of Maharashtra, I thank PM Modi for this decision,” Fadnavis said. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said the decision was “historic”, adding the struggle to ensure Marathi gets classical language status was going on for decades.

Reminded PM several times: Jairam Ramesh

Ahead of the state assembly polls, the demand for classical language status to Marathi had gained political momentum. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said that for the past 10 years, the demand for declaring Marathi as a classical language had been pending with the Central government.

Ramesh said he had reminded the prime minister several times to clear the proposal pending with the government, claiming it was finally done only a few weeks before an “imminent defeat” in the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Criteria for classical languages

Among the criteria to determine declaration of a language as a classical language are that it should have high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500–2,000 years, a body of ancient literature or texts that is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers, the literary tradition should be original and not borrowed from another speech community.

After a language is notified a classical language, the Union Education Ministry provides certain benefits to promote it, which include two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in the said languages.

A centre of excellence for studies in the classical language is also set up, and the University Grants Commission is requested to create a certain number of Professional Chairs in Central universities for the languages that get the classical tag.

Tamil first to get tag

On October 12, 2004, the Government of India decided to create a new category of languages as “classical languages”, declared Tamil a classical language and set criteria for according the status.

These criteria were — high antiquity of its early texts or recorded history over a thousand years, a body of ancient literature or texts which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers, and literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from another speech community.

A Linguistic Experts Committee (LEC) was constituted under Sahitya Akademi by the Ministry of Culture in November 2004 to examine the proposed languages for the classical language status. The criteria were revised in November 2005.

Five more got status later

The Central Institute of Classical Tamil was set up to facilitate the translation of ancient Tamil texts, promote research and offer courses for university students and language scholars. To further enhance the study and preservation of Classical Languages, the Centres for Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia were established under the auspices of the Central Institute of Indian Languages in Mysuru.

Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia were later given the classical language status.

“This is a historical decision and it goes very well with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government’s philosophy of taking pride in our culture, taking pride in our heritage, and taking pride in all the Indian languages and the rich heritage that we have,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a cabinet briefing on Thursday.

(With agency inputs)