(KPL) The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved to confer the status of Classical Language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages.  The Classical Languages serve as a custodian of India’s profound and ancient cultural heritage, embodying the essence of each community’s historical and cultural milestone. Other classical languages are Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam & Odia.

The Government of India decided to create a new category of languages as "Classical Languages" on 12th October 2004 declaring Tamil as Classical Language and setting following as criteria for the status of Classical Language: (a)  High Antiquity of its early texts/ recorded history over a thousand years (b)  A body of ancient literature/ texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generation of speakers (c)  The literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from another speech community.

A Linguistic Experts Committee (LEC) was constituted by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India under Sahitya Akademi in November 2004 to examine the proposed languages for the status of Classical Language. The criteria were revised in Nov. 2005 as following, and Sanskrit was declared as Classical Language: (i)   High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years (ii) A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers (iii)  The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community (iv) The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

The Ministry of Education of India has taken various steps to promote Classical Languages. Three Central Universities were established in 2020 through an Act of Parliament for promotion of Sanskrit language. 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 of Tamil. 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. In addition to these initiatives, several national and international awards have been instituted to recognize and encourage achievements in the field of Classical Languages. Benefits extended to Classical Languages by the Ministry of Education of India include National Awards for Classical Languages, Chairs in Universities, and Centers for promotion of Classical Languages.

The inclusion of languages as Classical Language will create significant employment opportunities, particularly in academic and research fields. Additionally, the preservation, documentation, and digitization of ancient texts of these languages will generate jobs in archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media. The broader cultural and academic impact will extend nationally and internationally.

KPL