Context: The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to grant classical language status to five languages: Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali. This decision recognizes these languages as integral to India’s heritage and cultural history.

• 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.

About Classical Language Status Criteria

• The government’s criteria for declaring a language as classical include the following:

• Historical antiquity: The language should have a documented history of at least 1,500-2,000 years.

• Cultural heritage: It should have a body of ancient literature that is regarded as a cultural heritage.

• Literary tradition: The language should have an original literary tradition, not borrowed from another community.

• Distinctness: There should be a clear distinction between the classical language and its later forms, indicating a discontinuity.

Classical Languages in India

• Objective: To recognize and preserve Bharat’s profound cultural heritage embodied in these languages and their literary traditions.

Criteria for Classical Language Status

• 2004 (when Tamil was declared a Classical Language):

• High Antiquity over a thousand years.

• A body of ancient literature valued by generations.

• Original literary tradition, not borrowed.

• 2005 (when Sanskrit was declared a Classical Language):

• High Antiquity over 1500-2000 years.

• Ancient literature valued by generations.

• Original literary tradition, not borrowed.

• Distinct from modern forms, with possible discontinuity.

• 2024 (as recommended by the Linguistic Experts Committee):

• High Antiquity over 1500-2000 years.

• Ancient literature valued by generations.

• Includes knowledge texts, prose, inscriptions.

• Distinct from current forms or may show discontinuity.

• Previously Conferred Status

• Tamil (2004), Sanskrit (2005), Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013), Odia (2014)

Implementation Strategy

• Establishment of Central Universities for Sanskrit (2020)

• Promotion of Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia through the Central Institute of Indian Languages (Mysuru)

• National and International awards for Classical Languages

Impact on Employment

• Employment in academia, research, and archiving

• Jobs in preservation, digitization, translation, and publishing of ancient texts

?Language of the Union

• Article 120: Governs the language used in Parliament. 

• Article 210: Applies similar rules for State Legislatures. 

• Article 343: Declares Hindi in Devanagari script as the official Union language. 

Regional Languages

• Article 345: States can adopt any official language. 

• Article 346: Defines language for communication between states and with the Union. 

• Article 347: Allows the President to recognize a language spoken by a section of a state’s population. 

Special Directives

• Article 29: Protects minority languages, granting citizens the right to preserve their language and culture. 

• Article 350: Ensures individuals can submit grievances in any language used in the Union or State. 

• Article 350A: Directs states to provide mother tongue instruction at the primary level for linguistic minorities. 

• Article 350B: Establishes a Special Officer for linguistic minorities to ensure constitutional safeguards are upheld. 

The Eighth Schedule

• Lists 22 official languages, governed by Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Constitution.

• Includes Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu

Chronological Additions to the Eighth Schedule

• 1950: Initially included 14 languages

• 1967: Sindhi added (21st Constitutional Amendment)

• 1992: Konkani, Manipuri (Meitei), Nepali added (71st Constitutional Amendment)

• 2003: Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santali added (92nd Constitutional Amendment)

• 2011: “Oriya” replaced with “Odia” (96th Constitutional Amendment)

Benefits of Classical Language Status

• International awards: Two major international awards are conferred annually for scholars of eminence in the classical language.

• Center of excellence: The government establishes a dedicated Centre of Excellence for studies related to the classical language.

• Promotion and research: Grants and funding are provided to promote the study, research, and dissemination of the classical language and its literature.

• Educational support: Programs are established in universities and institutes to support academic activities around classical languages.