What does getting ‘classical language’ status mean for Marathi?

But first, what is the concept of a “classical” language?

According to a press release issued by the government on October 3, following demands from various states, the UPA-1 government decided to create a category of Indian languages known as “classical languages”, and lay down various criteria for the status. These included:

High antiquity of its early texts/ recorded history going back more than 1,000 years; a body of ancient literature/ texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers; and an original literary tradition that is not borrowed from another speech community.

On October 12, 2004, Tamil was notified as a classical language. The following month, the Ministry of Culture set up a Linguistic Experts Committee (LEC) under the Sahitya Akademi to examine proposals for the status of classical language.

In November 2005, the criteria were revised. The new criteria pushed back the antiquity of early texts/ recorded history in the language to 1,500-2000 years from the earlier threshold of 1,000 years.

It was also decided to find out whether there was a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

Sanskrit was declared a classical language on November 25, 2005. Subsequently, classical language status was conferred upon Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).

When did the demand for classical language status for Marathi emerge?

Following demands from the literary community, the Maharashtra government in 2012 set up a Marathi Language Classical Status Research Committee headed by veteran litterateur Prof Ranganath Pathare to examine the question.

After extensive research and collecting evidence from old documents, the committee submitted its report to the state government in 2013. The state government forwarded it to the Centre, with a request to accord classical status to Marathi based on the findings and the proof submitted by the committee.

“’I submitted my report in 2013. Better late than never… Finally, Marathi has got the classical language status it deserves,” Prof Pathare said.

What happened with the nomination for Marathi between 2013 and now?

The Centre forwarded the recommendation of the Maharashtra government seeking classical language status for Marathi to the LEC. The LEC recommended classical language status for Marathi.

In 2016, the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad and other literary bodies decided to start a public movement to press their demand. Authors, writers and fans of Marathi held dharnas and protests seeking classical status, and 1 lakh postcards were sent by school students to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad president Dr Raosaheb Kasbe organised a meeting of 40 prominent authors. The Parishad wrote to the PMO to press the demand, Prof Milind Joshi, working president of the Parishad, said.

In 2017, during inter-ministerial consultations on a draft cabinet note prepared for conferment of classical status to Marathi, the Home Ministry advised that the criteria for according classical status should be revised and made stricter. The PMO asked for an exercise to find out how many other languages were likely to become eligible.

How did the other languages that have been accorded the status come into the picture?

With the demands in favour of Marathi still pending, Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal sent in proposals to accord classical language status to Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

On July 25 this year, the LEC under Sahitya Akademi unanimously revised the criteria for classical status. The criteria now included high antiquity of early texts/ recorded history over a period of 1500- 2000 years; a body of ancient literature/ texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers; knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry; epigraphic and inscriptional evidence; and that classical languages and literature could be distinct from its current form or could be discontinuous with later forms of its offshoots.

The committee then recommended five more languages which fulfilled the revised criteria for classical language. They were Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali, which the government announced on October 3.

How will Marathi (and the other languages) benefit from their new status as classical languages?

The Marathi literary community believes that the status of Marathi will be enhanced worldwide, and will help to preserve, promote, and protect the language, and take it closer to the masses.

Marathi authors believe that a Central Institute of Classical Marathi will be set up in Maharashtra to facilitate the translation of ancient Marathi texts, promote research, and offer courses for university students and language scholars of Marathi — as has been done for Tamil.

The central government is expected to provide funds worth crores for research and for betterment of Marathi schools and libraries. “There are 12,000 Marathi libraries in Maharashtra which need financial help. With Marathi language getting an uplift, they can look forward to receiving help,” Joshi said.

“’There are at least 450 universities in India where we expect arrangements will be made to teach Marathi,” he added.

It is also expected that national and international awards will be instituted to recognise and encourage achievements in the field of classical languages. National awards could be instituted for classical languages, and chairs in universities and centres for the promotion of these languages could be set up.

Classical language status is expected to create employment opportunities in the fields of academics and research. The tasks of preservation, documentation, and digitisation of ancient texts of these languages will likely generate jobs in archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media.