Centre considering proposal to make Marathi classical language

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Government's proposal seeking to confer classical language status on Marathi language is under consideration of the Centre, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Replying to a question on whether the Centre has received any proposal from the state government and Abhijit Marathi Bhasha Samiti for conferring the status of classical language on Marathi language, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said that a proposal from Maharashtra Government's department of Marathi language is under consideration of this ministry.

However, he clarified that no proposal has been received from the Abhijit Marathi Bhasha Committee.

As per the criteria laid down by the Centre for declaring a language as classical includes high quality of its early text or recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years and a body of ancient literature, which is considered valuable heritage by generation of speakers.

The literary tradition should be original and not borrowed from another speech or community and the classical language and literature should be distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms of its offshoots are other criteria.

The Minister further said, six languages-Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia have been recognised as classical languages.