GUWAHATI: The Assamese language was officially bestowed with a place among the classical languages by the Central government on October 3, along with four other languages, during the third day of the Indian linguistic extravaganza.
The new development gives classical status to Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit as well, ending up making the list classy.
PM Modi on Twitter: He went gaga praising the glorious Assamese culture for its ancient tradition of literature. He hopes that the language will grow on. He wished everyone who made this possible.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was also ecstatic, saying this was "one of the happiest days of my life."
This is what finds its unique civilisational roots of Assam that withstood the test of time he wrote on X.
We shall also be able to better preserve our dear mother tongue, that not only unites our society but also forms an unbroken link to the ancient wisdom of Assam's saints, thinkers, writers, and philosophers, he said.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced this while stressing PM Modi's commitment to promoting Indian languages. It is now Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit which form part of this elite club, the six others already mentioned are Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia .
By classifying these languages under the classical category, the government will strive hard to preserve and promote them so that it is not lost or becomes a dead letter in present-day India.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, "his relentless efforts to secure Bharat's heritage."
The bigger meaning of this move is reflected through the statement of CM Sarma: it's not only about the classification of the language but how the rich cultural legacy that India boasts of is preserved and celebrated.
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