Why is it in the News?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked the central government to officially list Bengali as a “classical language”

About the Classical Languages in India:

• The Ministry of Culture plays a significant role in providing guidelines concerning Classical languages.
• At present, six languages in India hold the status of 'Classical.'
• These include:
  • Tamil (2004)
  • Sanskrit (2005)
  • Kannada (2008)
  • Telugu (2008)
  • Malayalam (2013) and
  • Odia (2014)
• All these Classical Languages find a place in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

The criteria for designating a language as 'Classical' encompass several key factors:

• Historical Significance: A language must boast high antiquity, with early texts or recorded history spanning 1500-2000 years.
• Rich Literary Heritage: The language should possess a substantial body of ancient literature or texts considered a valuable heritage by successive generations of speakers.
• Originality: The literary tradition of the language should be original, not borrowed from another speech community.
• Distinctive Identity: A Classical language and its literature must maintain a distinct identity from modern iterations, potentially featuring a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or derivatives.

Upon achieving Classical status, the Human Resource and Development Ministry extends various benefits to promote the language, including:

• International Recognition: Two significant annual international awards are instituted for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages.
• Centers of Excellence: Establishing a dedicated Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages.
• Academic Support: Encouraging the University Grants Commission to initiate Professional Chairs for Classical Languages, particularly in Central Universities, to foster academic research and development.

The Bengali Language:

• Bengali serves as the official language of West Bengal and holds the same status in Bangladesh.
• It stands as the second most spoken language in India and ranks as the seventh most spoken language globally.
• As an Indo-Aryan language indigenous to the Bengal region of South Asia, Bengali employs a script derived from Brahmi, an ancient Indian script.
• Notably, Bengali is written from left to right.