Dharmendra Pradhan releases 55 literary works in classical Indian languages

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan released 55 literary works in classical Indian languages on Tuesday in New Delhi.

The releases 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).

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The collection features important scholarly works across Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, and Tamil, along with an interpretation of the Tirukkural in Indian Sign Language. These publications are part of a wider national effort to place India’s linguistic heritage at the centre of education and research and to foster cultural pride, while strengthening engagement with classical knowledge traditions.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that the Modi government has worked extensively to strengthen and promote all Indian languages such as including more languages in the scheduled list to translating classical texts into Indian languages, and encouraging education in Indian languages. Indian languages have stood the test of time despite the attempts to destroy them, he added.

He further said that India is the mother of democracy and a country of immense linguistic diversity, and that it is the responsibility of society to ensure that the nation’s historical, cultural, and literary wealth is preserved and that future generations are made aware of it.

Pradhan also said that the inclusion of the essence of the Tirukkural in Sign Language empowers the vision of an inclusive India, where access to knowledge is ensured for all, and added that this release is a valuable contribution to India’s intellectual literature.

He further stated that the National Education Policy 2020 advances the vision of education in Indian languages, and that India remains a vibrant example of unity in diversity, where language serves as a medium to connect society. He said that, in contrast to the Macaulay mindset of the colonial era, Indian civilisation has always regarded languages as bridges for dialogue and cultural harmony.