Context: With many languages seeking classical status, the Central government has decided to change the criteria for classical status to any language.
About classical language
- The term ‘Indian classical languages,’ or Shastriya Bhasha, encompasses languages in India with a rich history, significant antiquity, and a distinct literary heritage.
- India has six classical languages as of now: Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. The government last granted the special tag to Odia in 2014.
- The Indian government established criteria for conferring the status of a ‘Classical Language,’ a decision implemented by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Linguistic Experts’ Committee. This committee, formed by the government, evaluates requests for classifying languages as Classical Languages.
- All the Classical Languages are listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
To be recognized as a ‘Classical Language,’ a language must satisfy the following criteria:
- Demonstrated high antiquity of its early texts or a recorded history spanning 1500–2000 years.
- Possession of a body of ancient literature or texts considered valuable heritage by successive generations of speakers.
- Originality of the literary tradition, not borrowed from another speech community.
- Distinctiveness between the classical language and literature from its modern counterparts, potentially involving a discontinuity.
Benefits of Classical Status:
- Two major international awards annually for distinguished scholars in Classical Indian Languages.
- Establishment of a ‘Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages.’
- Requesting the University Grants Commission to initiate, initially in Central Universities, a designated number of Professional Chairs for Classical Languages for eminent scholars in Classical Indian Languages.