Context:
West Bengal urged the centre to include ‘Bangla’ as a classical language.
- Bangla language is the 7th most spoken language in the world and its origin can be traced back to the 3rd-4th BCE
Classical Language
- Current status- 6 languages
- Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia.
- All the Classical Languages are listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
- Ministry – Ministry of Culture
- Criteria
- High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years;
- A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers;
- The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community;
- The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.
- Benefits
- 2 major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages
- A Centre of Excellence for studies in Classical Languages is set up
- The University Grants Commission is requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for the Classical Languages so declared.
Source: The Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. 21st February is declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNICEF.
2. The demand that Bangla has to be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2021 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct. International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February by UNESCO
