Miss KanishkaA language can survive in hand-written manuscripts, well-preserved books or in university archives. Its future, however, depends on whether new generations can read it, understand it and find something meaningful in its words.
That is the real test facing five new Centres of Excellence approved by the Ministry of Education on 3 October 2026. These Centres will work on the languages of classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit at different universities, with the goal to conduct advanced research and preserve the linguistic and literary legacy.
The initiative creates an opportunity for India’s universities to rethink the pedagogy of classical languages, and to rethink the reach of this study. In a country of vast linguistic diversity, preservation work should go hand in hand with efforts to educate the next generation of language researchers. Preservation is crucial, but its value is most likely to be felt when new discoveries reach out to new audiences.
Classical Languages Need Readers as Much as Researchers
The study of these languages has been somewhat remote to the average school student. A child may wonder how the study of old texts and grammatical conventions can enhance one’s understanding of history or contribute to one’s wider education. One may see it as a subject disconnected from one’s future plans, whether in science, technology, journalism or graphic design.
By exposing these students to the range of questions that classical language study encompasses, universities can show its relevance. For example, working on manuscripts means looking at changing ways of storytelling, at shifting ideas and at different methods of evaluating human experience. But a researcher may also compare the evolution of scripts, analyse the impact of literary figures on later traditions, or study epigraphy, the science of inscriptions.
Intellectual engagement is a strong motivator, and students who acquire the skills of textual analysis and critical reading could apply these competencies to jobs, postgraduate work or further research.
The five new centres have a key role to play in these developments. Their success will to a certain extent depend on the relevance they manage to build among younger generations.
Digitisation Must Make Knowledge Easier to Use
To put a manuscript online is to ensure it will be studied and shared, since a single scan preserves the document and makes its contents available to thousands. But how easy are such documents to understand? Would a researcher be able to decipher a difficult script, follow the meaning, and evaluate the significance in the appropriate socio-historical context?
The centres need to take responsibility, not only for the preservation but also for the enhancement of these languages. In addition to digitising collections, centres could facilitate the creation of electronic text collections or other databases that would make linguistic study easier. Bilingual editions, accessible online resources, readings for non-specialists or even audiobooks can help scholars, students and interested members of the public engage with India’s linguistic and literary legacy.
Optical character recognition and other technologies can help create such tools. But there is a need for careful human oversight wherever language-processing technology has to read old, incomplete or otherwise difficult text. Scholarship should have primacy over technology.
The goal of these projects could be to make it possible for a young student in any part of the country to study a text found in a distant university. Knowledge is valuable, but when its location defines its availability, its application is limited.
Universities Must Build a Route From Curiosity to Study
The new centres can collaborate with other institutions within their state, from universities to libraries and local cultural events. Such engagement is likely to have an impact far beyond the initial audience.
A project could begin with talks for history undergraduates, to build awareness of the richness of India’s literary traditions. These might be followed by research-oriented activities: students from other disciplines could participate in workshops on manuscript reading, or help with linguistic research in teams.
Students of history could examine the way certain topics were narrated or interpreted in a given socio-political context; students of linguistics could document the evolution of certain words; students of computer science could address the difficulties of creating language-specific applications and databases.
These activities would give students an introduction to the study of India’s linguistic and literary legacy. They will serve the centres by finding new students for their study programmes, but their primary role should be to broaden the educational horizons of all participants. Teachers, too, will play a part in the process.
At the school level, accessible teaching resources, condensed text collections or classroom activities could allow educators to familiarise students with India’s literary traditions without being experts in the languages of these texts.
The new centres could expand such opportunities, although their specific programmes have yet to be announced. The announcement of the five new centres defines their overarching goals; it is now up to these institutions to design their specific activities.
Preservation Should Connect the Past With the Present
The benefits of this study, however, will not be limited to language specialists. The value of understanding the evolution of linguistic structures lies in its ability to help students grasp the complexities with which humans interact with each other and with the environment. A historian needs to analyse textual evidence to recreate the past; the literary student, in turn, benefits from knowing how to evaluate the work of various writers and translators. These subjects, in their various forms, require precision, sensitivity and critical thinking skills. Classical language study, when done the right way, can create a space for all these skills to be developed.
In addition, the five new research centres should also have a place for new scholarly voices. Classical language study may create a niche for itself, but it cannot exist in a vacuum. New researchers can look into hitherto unstudied phenomena, comparing traditions and approaches on a regional basis, preparing new editions, commentaries and similar works.
This is all time-consuming work. The process of building academic infrastructure and recruiting qualified researchers cannot be measured in yearly activities. The long-term success of the centres will depend on the quality and relevance of the scholarly production in these institutions.
The Measure of Success Will Be Who Can Read What Was Once Out of Reach
Five new Centres of Excellence will serve as the centres of research and preservation for Classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit. Their establishment is an opportunity for India’s educational institutions to invest in the future of classical languages.
The new centres will measure their success primarily by the quality and reach of their educational initiatives beyond the walls of their libraries and lecture halls. So it is important to re-orientate the discussion around this concept of impact.
For students, a classical language study may be a launchpad for a range of professions, including literature, historical research or language technology. But it can also be a way of understanding the mechanics of learning and sharing knowledge across disciplines.
Above all, India’s linguistic and literary legacy is best safeguarded if it is accessible to all who wish to learn. The true value of these centres will be judged by the new researchers they train and the new questions these scholars will ask.
Nibeditaa Speaks
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