NEW DELHI: PM Modi on Thursday said that languages like Pali and Marathi that have been recently recognised as classical languages by the Centre were denied their due place earlier because of the colonial mindset of past govts.
Without naming, Modi attacked Congress govts in the past, saying, “Every nation connects its heritage with its identity. Unfortunately, Bharat had lagged far behind in this regard as before independence, invaders aimed to erase our country’s identity, and after independence, those with a colonial mindset took over.”
“An ecosystem had taken hold in Bharat that worked to push us in the opposite direction,” the PM said, and added that “symbols of Buddha that were adopted as the symbols of Bharat at the time of independence, were gradually forgotten in the decades that followed.”
“It took seven decades for Pali language to get its rightful place,” Modi said, adding that Marathi is also being given the respect of a classical language.
Addressing a programme here to mark International Abhidhamma Divas, the PM said, “Our great follower of Buddhism, Babasaheb Ambedkar, received his Dhamma initiation in Pali, and his mother tongue was Marathi.” “Similarly, we have given classical language status to Bengali, Assamese, and Prakrit as well,” he added.
Unfortunately, today the ancient language of Pali, in which the original words of Lord Buddha exist, is not in common use, the PM said. “Therefore, it is our responsibility to keep Pali language alive to keep the words of Lord Buddha alive in their original spirit,” he added.
The PM also highlighted that the National Education Policy is also becoming a means of preserving languages. “Since the option of education in mother tongues was introduced for the youth of the country, these languages are growing even stronger,” he said.
Without naming, Modi attacked Congress govts in the past, saying, “Every nation connects its heritage with its identity. Unfortunately, Bharat had lagged far behind in this regard as before independence, invaders aimed to erase our country’s identity, and after independence, those with a colonial mindset took over.”
“An ecosystem had taken hold in Bharat that worked to push us in the opposite direction,” the PM said, and added that “symbols of Buddha that were adopted as the symbols of Bharat at the time of independence, were gradually forgotten in the decades that followed.”
“It took seven decades for Pali language to get its rightful place,” Modi said, adding that Marathi is also being given the respect of a classical language.
Addressing a programme here to mark International Abhidhamma Divas, the PM said, “Our great follower of Buddhism, Babasaheb Ambedkar, received his Dhamma initiation in Pali, and his mother tongue was Marathi.” “Similarly, we have given classical language status to Bengali, Assamese, and Prakrit as well,” he added.
Unfortunately, today the ancient language of Pali, in which the original words of Lord Buddha exist, is not in common use, the PM said. “Therefore, it is our responsibility to keep Pali language alive to keep the words of Lord Buddha alive in their original spirit,” he added.
The PM also highlighted that the National Education Policy is also becoming a means of preserving languages. “Since the option of education in mother tongues was introduced for the youth of the country, these languages are growing even stronger,” he said.
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