55 Literary Works Released: Promoting India's Linguistic Heritage
Education Minister releases 55 volumes of classical Indian literary works.
Photo by Brett Jordan
Key Facts
Literary works released: 55 volumes
Languages: Kannada, Odia, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil
Tirukkural: Sign language series released
UPSC Exam Angles
GS Paper I: Indian Culture - Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
GS Paper II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Potential question types: Statement-based, analytical questions on language policy and cultural preservation.
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Background
The promotion of classical languages in India has deep historical roots, tracing back to ancient times when Sanskrit, Tamil, Prakrit, and Pali served as primary vehicles for philosophical, literary, and scientific expression. The formal recognition of classical languages by the Indian government began in 2004 with Tamil, followed by Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia. This recognition aimed to preserve and promote these languages, acknowledging their significant contributions to India's cultural heritage.
The establishment of Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages is a more recent development, designed to provide focused research and development in these languages. The evolution of language policy reflects a broader effort to balance the promotion of Hindi as a national language with the preservation of regional linguistic diversity, a challenge that has shaped Indian politics and society since independence.
Latest Developments
In recent years, there has been a renewed focus on integrating classical languages into the education system, particularly through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The NEP emphasizes multilingualism and the importance of studying Indian languages, including classical languages, at various levels of education. Furthermore, there's been a growing emphasis on using technology to preserve and promote these languages, including the development of digital resources, online courses, and translation tools.
The establishment of the Bharatiya Bhasha University is a significant step towards promoting Indian languages. Future initiatives are expected to focus on increasing funding for research in classical languages, expanding the scope of language preservation efforts, and promoting greater collaboration between academic institutions and language experts.
Practice Questions (MCQs)
1. Consider the following statements regarding the criteria for declaring a language as a Classical Language in India: 1. High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years. 2. A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers. 3. The literary tradition is original and not borrowed from another speech community. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: D
All the statements are correct as they represent the criteria used by the Government of India to classify a language as a Classical Language.
2. With reference to the recent release of literary works in classical Indian languages, consider the following statements: 1. The literary works were brought out by the Sahitya Akademi. 2. The Tirukkural, a Tamil classic, was released in a sign language series. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show Answer
Answer: B
Statement 1 is incorrect because the literary works were brought out by the Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) and the Central Institute of Classical Tamil. Statement 2 is correct.
3. Which of the following languages has NOT been officially designated as a 'Classical Language' by the Government of India?
- A.Kannada
- B.Pali
- C.Telugu
- D.Malayalam
Show Answer
Answer: B
Pali has not been designated as a Classical Language by the Government of India. The designated languages are Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia.
4. Assertion (A): The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes the promotion of Indian languages, including classical languages. Reason (R): NEP 2020 recognizes the importance of multilingualism and cultural preservation in education. In the context of the above, which of the following is correct?
- A.Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
- B.Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
- C.A is true, but R is false
- D.A is false, but R is true
Show Answer
Answer: A
Both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion. NEP 2020's emphasis on promoting Indian languages stems from its recognition of multilingualism and cultural preservation.