Just before the Durga Puja, one of the greatest festivals of West Bengal, a great news came for the Bengali language. Bengali is one of the ancient and traditional languages of India. Now this language got the recognition of a Classical Language of India. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the Classical Language status to Bengali along with Marathi, Pali, Assamese and Prakrit languages on October 3, 2024. India had six Classical Languages before that and these are – Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit and Odia. Tamil was approved first as the Classical Language in 2004.
The revised criteria for being a Classical Language are – 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 heritage by generations of speakers.
3. Knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry , epigraphical and inscriptional evidence.
4. The Classical Languages and literature could be distinct from its current form or could be discontinuous with later forms of its offshoots.
If any language gets recognition of a Classical Language then the Ministry of Education provides various benefits to promote the language. So the Bengali language is now entitled to get these benefits also . These are –
1 . Two international awards annually for scholars of eminence in the language.
2. Establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Studies in the Classical Language.
3. Requesting the UGC or University Grant Commission to create Professional Chairs in Central Universities dedicated to the Classical Language.
A . Read the passage and answer the questions below – 👇
1 . How many languages got recognition as Classical Language in 2024 ? What are the languages? 3
2. What are the other Classical
Languages? 3
3. Which language was recognised first as a Classical Language of India and in which year ? 2
4. What are the criteria for the recognition of a Classical Language? 4
5. What are the benefits a Classical Language can get ? 3
Writing ✍️ Skills –
1 . Write a Newspaper report based on the recognition of the Bengali language as a Classical Language of India . 10
2 . Write a short paragraph on the Classical Language of India. 10
3 . Suppose the Bengali Department of an Educational institution organized a seminar based on the recognition of the Bengali language as a Classical Language of India. Now write a notice as the Head of Department of the Bengali language informing all the students to attend the seminar. 10
4. Suppose you are the Cultural Secretary of a Social Welfare Society and your organization will arrange a cultural program and a seminar to celebrate the recognition of the Bengali language as a Classical Language of India. Now, write a letter to the Editor of a newspaper informing him/ her about your endeavor. 10
