Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday released 55 literary works in classical Indian languages, including Tamil, Odia, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Indian Sign Language, as part of the government’s efforts to promote India’s rich linguistic and cultural heritage.
The publications include 41 books developed by the Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), along with 13 books and a Tirukkural Sign Language series brought out by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT).
The collection features significant scholarly works across Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia and Tamil, including an interpretation of the Tirukkural in Indian Sign Language. The initiative aims to place India’s linguistic heritage at the centre of education and research, foster cultural pride and strengthen engagement with classical knowledge traditions.
Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sustained efforts have been made to strengthen and promote Indian languages, including expanding the scheduled languages list, translating classical texts into Indian languages and encouraging education in mother tongues. He said Indian languages have endured despite historical attempts to marginalise them.
The minister said India’s linguistic diversity is a source of unity and strength, and emphasised the responsibility of society to preserve the country’s historical, cultural and literary wealth for future generations. He noted that languages act as a unifying force and reiterated that all Indian languages are national languages.
Highlighting the inclusion of the Tirukkural in Indian Sign Language, Pradhan said the initiative reflects the vision of an inclusive India by ensuring wider access to knowledge. He described the release as a significant contribution to India’s intellectual and literary corpus.
Pradhan also said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 advances education in Indian languages and reinforces India’s tradition of unity in diversity, where language serves as a bridge for dialogue and cultural harmony.
