Union govt grants ‘classical language’ status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit

The Union Cabinet has granted classical language status to five moreIndian languages: Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali, announced Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday. This decision will almost double the number of recognized classical languages, bringing the total from six to 11.

"The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved to confer the status of Classical Language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages. The 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," said the government in an official statement.

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

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The concept of "Classical Languages" was first introduced by the government on October 12, 2004, with Tamil being the inaugural language to receive the honour, followed by Sanskrit in 2005. Other languages like Kannada and Telugu were added in 2008, Malayalam in 2013, and Odia in 2014.

To qualify as a classical language, a language must have a history and literary tradition that dates back at least 1500–2000 years, along with a significant collection of ancient texts that continue to be valued. Additionally, the language should possess a unique literary heritage, not derived from any other language, and there should be a clear distinction between the classical language and its modern versions or dialects.

Following the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X, "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! Each of them are beautiful languages, highlighting our vibrant diversity. Congratulations to everyone"

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, responding to the news that Bengali had received classical language status, wrote 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 Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also thanked the Prime Minister, saying, "Thank you Hon’ble Prime Minister for this decision. Your love and affection for the Assamese language and culture is unparalleled and the people of Assam will be forever indebted to you for recognising our beautiful mother tongue as a Classical language."

(With inputs from agencies)