HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Oct 3: The central government has awarded Assamese along with four other languages as classical language status on Thursday.
The decision was taken in a union cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today.
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Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit, and Assamese are the five additional languages that have been acknowledged as classical languages, said the union minister of information and broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw in the national capital.
Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Oriya have previously achieved the coveted title, bringing the total number of classical Indian languages to eleven.
Meanwhile, following the Union cabinet’s pronouncement of awarding Assamese a classical language status, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the centre’s decision.
Taking to X handle, Sarma wrote, “Assamese is now a classical language.On behalf of the people of Assam, I extend my gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi
Ji and the entire Union Cabinet for the historic decision to accord Assamese the status of Classical Language.”
According to him, the Assamese language now enjoys the status of culturally significant tongue after central government’s nod.
The chief minister mentioned in his post, “Assamese joins a select group of languages to enjoy this status. This exemplifies the unique civilisational roots of Assam that has withstood the test of time. With today’s decision we shall be able to better preserve our beloved mother tongue, that not only unites our society but also forms an unbroken link to the ancient wisdom of Assam’s saints, thinkers, writers and philosophers.”
“Given the sacrifices our generation has made to protect the Assamese language and culture, today is one of the happiest days in my life. Once again my heartfelt thanks to Adarniya Modi Ji, for his relentless efforts to secure Bharat’s Heritage,” he added.
The creation of a Center of Excellence for the study of the language, funds for Professional Chairs at Central institutions, and worldwide awards for notable contributors are just a few of the major advantages that come with being designated as a classical language.
