The mother of the mother tongues
The ability to communicate has made it possible for humanity to take huge strides and this would have not been possible without coming up with systems of languages that contain within them centuries worth of histories and mysteries.
Happened on 17th September 2004
India, the cradle of rich cultures imbibes within her vast multitudes. Varied are its colours and varied are its expressions. While it is a mammoth task to put into words the diverse experiences of the people of this land, Indian languages prove to be a beautiful medium for making honest connections. With the origin of these languages dating back thousands of years, they hold a central place in the cultural mosaic of the country.
The vernacular is more than written or spoken word- it’s a medium of expression that represents the history and identity of many communities and hence it is essential to preserve them. The provision for Classical Languages was made for this cause and Tamil was the first language to adorn this crown.
Spoken by millions of people in many countries including India, Tamil was given the tag of a Classical language on 17 September 2004. One of the longest surviving written and oral traditions in the world, and the first Indian language to be printed and published, it certainly deserved a place on this list.
Being old isn’t the only box that has to be checked off in order to gain the title of a Classical Language as the criteria includes multiple conditions like the existence of recorded history dating back to 1500-2000 years, literary texts that are a part of cultural heritage, literary traditions that are solely attributed to the language and are not borrowed. With such strict rules only Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia have been given this status.
When it comes to Tamil, the much-revered member of the Dravidian language family, achieving the title of a Classical Language was a cake-walk. Given its cultural significance and the part it had to play in the history of the south-east Asian region, it’s necessary to talk it up. The language has been in record for over 2000 years and forms on the earliest literary traditions of the world.
Sangam literature is a huge corpus of poems on myriad themes written by the greatest minds of their times. Some of these were learned men and others were traders, farmers, and even women. Preserved within these poems is the social essence of the entire Sangam landscape.
A similar tenacity of literary merit is carried on with modern Tamil. Any language flourishes because of the people who speak it, who make it their tongue and in turn the extension of themselves and the same is the case with Tamil. The reason its native speakers keep increasing can be attributed to its inherent flexibility.
Owing to the place it has in the hearts of millions of people, Tamil was given this special privilege. Any Classical Language gets certain benefits, that include the setting up of institutions and departments for its promotion and propagation. The Central Institute of Classical Tamil has been established for the same.
In our ever-changing world, legislation is necessary to preserve regional languages but they are not enough. It’s our responsibility to take pride in our culture, our mother tongue and never forget our roots.
This was story was first published on This Day.app.
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