Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan today released 55 significant literary works in classical Indian languages at an event in New Delhi, underscoring the government’s commitment to preserving and promoting India’s rich linguistic diversity.
The collection comprises 41 scholarly books developed by the Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) and 13 books along with a special Tirukkural series in Indian Sign Language produced by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT). The publications cover important works in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, and Tamil.
Speaking at the event, Shri Pradhan highlighted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the government has taken multiple steps to strengthen Indian languages — from adding more languages to the Eighth Schedule to promoting translation of classical texts and encouraging education in mother tongues. He noted that Indian languages have endured historical attempts to suppress them and continue to thrive as unifying forces.
“India is the mother of democracy and a land of immense linguistic diversity. It is our collective responsibility to preserve our historical, cultural, and literary wealth for future generations,” the Minister said. He described all Indian languages as national languages, echoing the Prime Minister’s vision.
Shri Pradhan particularly praised the inclusion of Tirukkural in Indian Sign Language as a step toward an inclusive India where knowledge is accessible to all. He also linked the initiative to the National Education Policy 2020’s emphasis on education in Indian languages and contrasted it with the colonial-era approach that sought to marginalise native tongues.
The Minister congratulated the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Centres of Excellence, CIIL, and CICT for their contributions to the promotion of Indian languages.
The event was attended by senior officials, including Vineet Joshi, Secretary (Higher Education); Chamu Krishna Shastry, Chairman, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti; Prof. Shailendra Mohan, Director, CIIL; Prof. R. Chandrasekaran, Director, CICT; and other dignitaries from the Ministry of Education.
This release is seen as a major boost to research, education, and cultural pride centred on India’s classical knowledge traditions.
