The Union Cabinet has granted classical language status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit, recognizing their rich cultural and historical significance. This long-awaited approval acknowledges the contributions of these languages to India’s heritage and promotes further preservation, research, and academic opportunities.
The Union Cabinet, on October 3, 2024, gave its nod for classical language status for Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit in a major decision for the country’s cultural values. These languages have been integral parts of India’s historical and cultural struggles. The demand for the classical status of Marathi had been pending from 2013; hence the approval before the Assembly elections has been a long-awaited victory for the state of Maharashtra.
Along with these five other languages, India now has 11 classical languages. This included Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Odia earlier, which were declared as the classical languages. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi also congratulated the speakers of these newly declared classical languages, declaring its importance in the cultural heritage of the nation, while posting in X (formerly Twitter).
This is his message of recognition to the people. “Marathi is the pride of India. Congratulations on this phenomenal language now becoming a Classical Language. It is a befitting honour to recognize the glorious cultural gifting of Marathi to our nation’s history. Marathi has always been an integral part of Indian heritage,” he posted on X. Realizing this, Modi said now even more people would learn Marathi and touch the rich literary tradition.
For Bengali, this came when Durga Puja was being celebrated in West Bengal as one of its biggest festivals. In this respect, the PM added, “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. I congratulate all the Bengali speakers all over the world on this.”
The New Terms of the Granting of the Status of Classical Language
The Union Culture Ministry clarified the fact that the terms for the granting of the status were altered at the meeting of the Linguistics Expert Committee, which was headed by the Sahitya Akademi, in July 2024. In this meeting, the Linguistic Experts Group members from the Union Ministries of Home and Culture consolidated their decision to offer the status of a classical language to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit.
Once notified as a classical language, the Ministry of Education does a string of benefits to promote it. These include the institution of two major international awards for scholars of these languages and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for studies in classical languages and professional academic positions in Central Universities. That way, research, academic opportunity and engagement with the rich heritage would be promoted.
Economic and Employment Impact
With this development, the Union Culture Ministry has publicized potential economic benefits. Economic benefits of this policy will be in employment opportunities related to the preservation, documentation, and digitization processes of the ancient texts in these languages. Most of these will be in academic and research institutions, archiving institutions, translation centers, and publishing houses. In addition, digitization and linguistic heritage preservation jobs are expected as a direct by-product of this policy.
Reactions from Maharashtra:
The declaration of Marathi as a classical language has been in entire welcome across Maharashtra. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thanked stating, “Finally, Marathi language has been granted the status of a classical language. This battle has been successful. Maharashtra government has constantly followed up with the Centre for the same. I thank PM Narendra Modi ji, Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji, Union Cultural Affairs Minister Gajendrasinha Shekhavat ji.”
Hailing it as a “golden moment” and a “historic day” for the state, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis hailed the Centre’s move towards giving Marathi classical language status as a culmination of years of struggle.
The declaration of Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit as classical languages by the Union Cabinet is a seminal step forward into open recognition of their cultural and literary riches. With this new status, renewed efforts would surely be made toward conservation, promotion, and expanded scholarly research opportunities to these connected people for academic and employment purposes. Such an announcement is a victory as much in culture as in socio-economic terms, for it continues to redefine India’s linguistic landscape. It further cements the nation’s commitment to celebrating the diversity of languages that have shaped its history and continue to contribute to its vibrant identity.