NEW DELHI, Oct 3: In a notable effort to honor India’s linguistic diversity, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday granted classical language status to five languages, including Assamese. This recognition highlights the importance of these languages in preserving India’s cultural heritage and acknowledges the historical contributions of their communities.
Alongside Assamese, Marathi, Bengali, Pali, and Prakrit have also received this status, increasing the total number of classical Indian languages to eleven, which includes previously recognized languages like Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Oriya.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his appreciation for the Central Government’s decision, calling it a significant milestone for Assam. He emphasized the deep cultural significance of Assamese and its role in fostering social cohesion, noting that this recognition will help in the preservation and promotion of the language and connect future generations to Assam’s intellectual heritage.
The Cabinet indicated that this classification will support the preservation, documentation, and digitization of ancient texts and generate job opportunities in academic and research sectors. Areas such as archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media are expected to benefit greatly from this initiative.
This decision is likely to spark increased interest in Assamese language studies and enhance cultural pride among its speakers. It represents a step toward integrating the contributions of Assamese and other classical languages into the broader narrative of India’s cultural identity.
