Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding classical language status for Marathi. In an official communication, Thackeray said, “The state government appointed expert committee on this issue had submitted its report on November 16, 2013 to the Centre.”

In the letter, Thackeray said the issue has been pending for a long time and asked the prime minister to look into it personally.

Earlier, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patel had informed Parliament that a proposal for granting classical language status to Marathi is under active consideration.

In the 93rd edition of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, a resolution was passed demanding the declaration of Marathi as a ‘classical’ language.

Classical languages

Currently, Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia have been given the status of classical languages.

The ministry of culture has some criteria to determine the declaration of a language as a classical language. They are…

1. High antiquity of its early texts / recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years.

2. A body of ancient literature / texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.

3. The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community.

4. The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

The benefits extended to classical languages are…

* Two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages.

* A Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages to be set up.

* The University Grants Commission be requested to create, to start with at least in the central universities, a certain number of professional chairs for classical languages for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages.

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