Mumbai: A long wait finally ended after the Union Cabinet on Thursday accorded a Classical Status for the Marathi language.
Successive governments in Maharashtra have actively pursued the matter with the Centre arguing that the Marathi language has a long history and the earliest inscription in Marathi (called Maharashtri Prakrit) belongs to the 1st century BCE.
It is certainly not an offshoot of any other language and has evolved independently of local dialects. Currently, six languages of the country namely Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Kannada, Malayalam and Oriya have the status of Classical Languages.
Marathi now become the 7th language to get a Classical Status.
The state government has argued that the Marathi language fulfils all the necessary criteria for being a Classical Language. They included the ancientness of the language, originality and continuity of the language, established and independent linguistic and literary tradition and the gap as well as connection/relation between the ancient language and its modern form.
The Centre’s move to accord a Classical Status will further boost the development of Marathi language, literature and research. It will be honoured at the national and international level.
The Marathi Language Department submitted a report of the Marathi classical language committee headed by Prof Rangnath Pathare on November 16, 2013. The committee was established by the Prithviraj Chavan-led government in the state.
The said Committee had strongly recommended the grant of a Classical status to the Marathi language. However, the Centre had communicated to the state that in the light of several Writ Petitions filed by R Gandhi in the High Court of Judicature at Madras on the subject, it was decided to wait for the outcome of the said writ petitions.
The High Court of Judicature at Madras had disposed of the writ petitions vide common order dated August 8, 2016, declining to interfere in the matter and disposed of all the petitions.
Consequently, the revised proposal for the grant of classical status to the Marathi language was under consideration by the Ministry of Culture.
The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in February 2020 unanimously passed a resolution recommending to the Centre to accord Marathi the status of a Classical Language. The resolution was moved by the then Minister for the Marathi language Subhash Desai. The one-line resolution asked the Centre to take a decision to declare Marathi as a “classical language”.
Similarly, during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in February 2022 dispatched a courier containing around 4,000 postcards to former President Ram Nath Kovind demanding the status of ‘Classical Language’ to the Marathi language.
Thereafter, as a leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar in April 2023 in a letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde urged him to follow with the Centre the state’s long pending demand to accord a Classical Status to the Marathi language.
The MahaYuti government February this year had formed the panel headed by former diplomat and author Dnyaneshwar Muley to follow up on the long-pending demand for classical language status for the Marathi language.
According to experts, following the Union Cabinet’s decision, the state government will be entitled to get the Centre’s grant for the development of the Marathi language and thereby enhance its reputation. By getting such status the Marathi language will gain importance thus paving the way for its further development.
The state government sources said that the union cabinet’s decision will help to receive the central government grants of Rs 250-300 crore annually for the enrichment of Marathi now declared as a Classical Language.
Further, the state government will be entitled to financial support for various projects including setting up language buildings, disseminating books and literature in that language, setting up libraries, and spreading the language through universities or other institutions across the country.
Additionally, the Centre also announces two national awards every year for the scholars of that language if it attains the status of a classical language. In addition, the Center of Excellence for Studies will be established. A special centre can be set up in every university to study that language.
Further, the arrangements will be made to learn Marathi in all 450 universities in India and the translation of ancient texts.
(Sanjay Jog can be reached at sanjay.j@ians.in)
–IANS
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