Govt Unveils 55 Scholarly Volumes to Promote Classical Indian Languages

By Surabhi Gupta

New Delhi: Reiterating the government’s sustained focus on preserving and promoting India’s vast linguistic heritage, the Centre on Tuesday unveiled 55 scholarly publications across classical Indian languages, marking a significant step towards strengthening research, education, and cultural pride rooted in indigenous traditions.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the volumes, which include literary and research works in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil, and a landmark interpretation of the Tirukkural in Sign Language. The initiative is being seen as part of a broader national effort to place Indian languages at the core of education and intellectual discourse.

Addressing the gathering, Pradhan underscored the resilience and unifying strength of Indian languages.

“Our languages are a unifying force. Indian languages have stood the test of time despite the attempts to destroy them. India is the mother of democracy and also a country of immense linguistic diversity. It should be our responsibility to ensure that our historical, cultural and literary wealth is preserved and future generations made aware of,” the minister said.

Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Pradhan noted that “all Indian languages are national languages,” stressing the need for equal respect and institutional support for linguistic diversity.

As part of the release, the minister unveiled 41 literary works prepared by the Centres of Excellence for Classical Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia. Additionally, 13 books, along with a 45-episode Sign Language interpretation series of the Tirukkural, were released by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT).

“These literary works in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil and Sign Language are a part of our larger national effort to place India’s linguistic heritage at the centre of education, research and cultural pride,” Pradhan said.

“From including more languages in the scheduled list to translation of classical texts in Indian languages to encouraging education in Indian languages, our government has worked extensively to strengthen and promote all Indian languages,” he added.

India currently recognises 11 classical languages: Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali, selected on the basis of antiquity, rich literary traditions, and distinct cultural heritage. The newly released publications cover historical texts, grammatical traditions, inscriptions, lexicography, devotional literature, and teaching resources, and are expected to serve as key reference materials for universities and research institutions across the country.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Chamu Krishna Shastry, Chairman of the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Padma Shri awardee, and noted educationist, described the initiative as a landmark moment for linguistic scholarship.

“Today, fifty-five books in five classical languages, ancient languages, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Odia, were launched. This is a very significant undertaking in the field of languages,” he said.

Emphasising India’s unique multilingual character, Shastry added, “India is known as a multilingual country. A multilingual country means that thousands of languages are spoken in India. Even more significant is that every citizen of India is multilingual. There is no other country in the world where people are so multilingual. This is India’s speciality.”

Linking multilingualism with national unity, he said, “Because of this multilingualism, there is an emotional unity among the people, and this makes India a united and great nation.”

Referring to recent remarks by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that every Indian should learn at least one South Indian language, calling linguistic diversity a strength that enhances national unity and mutual understanding, Chamu Said, “This is the essence of linguistic harmony and unity in India. By learning one language, we enter a new world of knowledge. Learning more languages will lead to our intellectual development, spiritual development, cultural development, and overall development. Therefore, learn another Indian language.“

He called for a nationwide movement to encourage learning Indian languages, saying, “This should be a new movement and campaign.”

Providing institutional details, Prof. Shailendra Mohan, Director of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), told ETV Bharat that the Centres of Excellence for Classical Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia operate under CIIL with locations across Mysuru, Tirur, Bhubaneswar, and Nellore.

“The books compiled by these institutions were released today. This includes 22 books in Kannada, 8 books in Telugu, 10 books in Classical Odia, and one book in Malayalam,” he said, adding that the minister also released 13 books in Tamil, taking the total to 55 volumes.

“These books primarily cover inscriptions, devotional traditions, lexicography, and linguistics,” Prof. Mohan noted, explaining that the larger aim is to bring traditional knowledge preserved in classical languages into modern contexts.
“The significance of these books lies in bringing our traditional knowledge into modern languages. These books will be available in schools, universities, and colleges. These are research-oriented materials,” he said.