Maharashtra legislature seeks ‘classical language’ tag for Marathi
Both houses of the Maharashtra legislature recently unanimously passed separate resolutions, asking the Centre to accord Marathi the status of a “classical language”. The legislative assembly first passed the resolution followed by the council. The resolution in the assembly was moved by Cabinet Minister for Marathi language Subhash Desai. The one line resolution asked the Centre to take a decision to declare Marathi a “classical language”.
An identical resolution was passed in the upper house. Minister of State for Marathi Language Vishwajeet Kadam tabled the resolution in the council where it was passed unanimously after discussion. The resolutions coincided with `Marathi Bhasha Din” (Marathi language day) which is celebrated on February 27, the birth anniversary of Jnanpith award winning poet the late V V Shirwadkar.
The ‘Classical Language’ Tag
- “Classical Language in India” is an official
status within the Republic of India, awarded by the Government of India. It is
without direct relation to the usual definition of “classical
language” (viz., a specific classical register within a larger literary
tradition).
- As of now, six languages — Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit,
Kannada, Malayalam and Odia — have been given the status of classical
languages.
- The criteria adopted by the Centre to determine the
eligibility of a language for classical status include its recorded history
over a period of 1,500-2,000 years, body of ancient literature and whether its
literary tradition is original, among other yardsticks.
- Languages declared as classical are given certain benefits by the Human Resource and Development Ministry. These include setting up centres for their study and international awards for their scholars.
SOURCE: Outlook India, Wikipedia
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