Listing Manipuri as Classical Language Draft proposal nearly finalised
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 18 2026: A draft proposal for inclusion of Manipuri Language (Meiteilon) as a Classical Language is nearly complete, said Language Planning and Implementation Director Laishram Radhakanta today.

The draft proposal, after completion, will be submitted to the relevant authorities, he added.

Notably, India has a total of 11 Classical Languages, including Tamil, Sanskrit, Telegu, Kannada, Malaya-lam, Odia, Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit.

Five languages, Assa- mese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit were classified as Classical Languages in October 2024 .

Speaking exclusively to this paper, Radhakanta said the Directorate under the Arty and Culture Department has been taking up efforts to promote Manipuri Language and include it as a Classical Language.

Under the Department of Education (S), the Directorate of Language, Planning and Implementation (DLPI) has also been undertaking required preparations for academic review and preparing proposals, he said.

The gathering of the materials required and preparation of the draft proposal began in 2020, organising 13 rounds of meetings with resource persons from December 2020 to August 2022, Radhakanta said.

While a proposal thus prepared earlier was submitted to the State Art and Culture Department in 2024, an unexpected change in the criteria by the Ministry of Culture in October 2024 forced the Directorate to prepare it again from scratch, Radhakanta said.

Further, the law and order situation in the State and the imposition of President's Rule had also hindered the preparation of the proposal, he added.

However, with the Governor taking keen interest in the matter, a meeting was then convened on January 5, 2026.The meeting, chaired by the Governor, decided to form a State Level Sub Committee under the Art and Culture Department.

The State Level Cub-Committee was then formed on June 2, 2026, and it held two rounds of meetings on June 9 and August 8 recently, Radhakanta said.

While the Sub-Committee is swiftly undertaking steps to tweak and prepare the earlier proposal to meet the present criteria, it is expected to convene a meeting soon and produce the final proposal to be submitted to relevant authorities, he added.

The proposal will be submitted to the State Department of Education (S) first, and it will reach the State Art and Culture Department before being submitted to the Ministry of Art and Culture.

The Manipuri language meets all the criteria laid down by the Ministry, and as such, the Directorate strongly believes it will be recognised as a Classical Language, Radhakanta said.

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