The director of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) Shailendra Mohan said on Friday that the metaphor of the Indian language diversity can be compared to the rangoli – a beautiful mosaic of colors, every unique and alive, but forms a complex, harmonious design.
Like any color, it contributes to overall aesthetics, each language adds its appetite to a shared cultural narrative of India, he said.
In Ciil, he chaired the conference on “India as one linguistic area: interdisciplinary perspective”, here, according to the census in 2011, India is home to 22 planned languages, 99 unplanned languages and 11 classical languages. In total, 270 mother tongues are spoken of our huge country.
He said India was like a lighthouse among old civilizations in the world. “When we stop and observe, we see that a lot of what we consider to be a way of life – our customs, practices and beliefs – with roots have been pulling for thousands of years. In our earliest texts, a significant part of this wisdom is preserved,” he said.
He said that the Indian linguist landscape reflects this ancient tradition of multilingualism, expansion and migration. “The variety of languages that is being spoken here is not only a feature of the region, but also a deep expression of shared cultural and philosophical unity that connects various linguistic communities,” said Ciil director.
The Indian genetic landscape, formed for thousands of years of migration, interaction and integration, reveals a deep connection between its people. This shared origin is reflected not only in our physical features, but in the languages we speak, the stories we tell, and the belief we have dear.
Mr Shailendra Mohan said that Indian languages that are formed by millennia of interaction, migration and cultural exchange are formed by a huge language area that needs to be recognized as such. “Our goal today is to demand the legitimate place of language areas in the history of language and in the history of the populations that spoke,” he explained.
Nivedita Bhide, all Indian vice president Vivekanand Rock Memorial and Vivekanand Kendra, Kanyakumari, who was an honorary guest. The Sukant Majumdar, Minister of the Department for Education and Development of the Northeast Region, which was the main guest, and Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Board of the Prime Minister, practically dealt with at the conference.
Published – April 11, 2025 17:46
