Officially recognised languages in India: India is a country with a rich variety of languages and cultures. There is a unique language to each Indian state. The Constitution recognises a total of 22 languages of regional/administrative connection and includes them in the Eighth Schedule. Keep reading to know more.
How many official languages are in India?
According to the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, 22 languages are recognised as official languages in India. These languages reflect the great cultural and linguistic diversity of the country, and they are all used in media, literature, administration, and education in a number of states.
What is the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution?
The Eighth Schedule lists all of the languages that the Indian government recognises and promotes. The government is able to promote the development of these languages, including literature. These languages can be developed by the government, including literature, translation, and education. They also have rights in legal proceedings, parliamentary debates, and civil service charge sheets.
List of Officially Recognised Languages in India
Assamese: Assamese is the official language of Assam, the state in which it is primarily spoken. Assamese is an Indo-Aryan language, known for its folklore poetry, including Bihu, and its script is similar to Bengali due to being from the same linguistic family.
Bengali: An official language in West Bengal and Tripura, Bengali is one of the top 5 languages in the world. Its literary heritage is notable. Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate, wrote in this language, which is the national language of Bangladesh.
Bodo: Officially recognised and gaining traction in the schools, Bodo is a Tibeto-Burman language in use in Assam's Bodoland area. Put in the Devanagari script, significant progress is being made to preserve its unique cultural expressions.
Dogri: Dogri is spoken in Jammu (in Jammu and Kashmir) and is an Indo-Aryan language. Dogri is best known for its folk songs and oral traditions that often depict the elemental aspects of everyday life and courage. In 2003, Dogri gained official language status, which marked a lot about who the people of Dogri were.
Gujarati: An official language of Gujarat, Gujarati is written literarily and has a literary tradition. It is also noted that Gujarati is Mahatma Gandhi's mother tongue and it has played an important role in commerce and global trade.
Hindi: Hindi is the most spoken language in India. Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India. It is used by the central government and serves as a link language across many northern states.
Kannada: The official language of Karnataka, this classical Dravidian language is represented by ancient inscriptions and has one of the oldest literary traditions in its family, including the famous 'Vachana' poetry. It remains a living language in various forms of literature and the arts.
Kashmiri: Kashmiri is a Dardic language mainly spoken in the Kashmir Valley and is inflected by Persian through its rich Sufi and folk literature. It reflects the unique cultural synthesis of the region. It is often written in the Perso-Arabic script.
Konkani: Spoken in Goa, parts of Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka, Konkani is the blend of Portuguese and Indian influences. You can see the influence Portuguese has had on the vocabulary and in forms of cultural production like the Mando. It has the unique attribute of being written in a number of scripts, including Devanagari.
Maithili: Maithili is the native language spoken in Bihar and parts of Jharkhand and is one of India’s oldest literary languages. It is one of India’s oldest literary languages and features in classical poetry and ancient Indian philosophical texts.
Malayalam: The official language of Kerala, Malayalam is derived from Tamil and Sanskrit and has an important and significant literary heritage of both ancient texts and modern literary movements. The script is round and flowing.
Manipuri (Meitei): Used in Manipur, this language has its unique script (Meitei Mayek) and a history of dance, martial arts, and a deep literary tradition closely tied to the culture of the state. It is the only official language of Manipur.
Marathi: The official language of Maharashtra, Marathi is historically significant in administration during the Maratha Empire and in social reform movements. The language is grounded in Sanskrit and has an extensive tradition of devotional poetry.
Nepali: Used in Sikkim and parts of West Bengal, Nepali is the national language of Nepal, with an Indo-Aryan grammatical influence and a distinctive oral tradition of folk songs and stories. The language also contributes to the overall Indian literature of the region.
Odia: Spoken in Odisha, Odia is classified as a classical language and has a thriving literary history with a focus on devotional poetry. Also, with respect to temple architecture and rituals. The script is characterised by its curves and rounded style.
Punjabi: The official language of Punjab, Punjabi is written in Gurmukhi and is the major language of expression for Sikhs in a religious context; Guru Granth Sahib is in this language. Punjabi folk music, especially Bhangra, is prominent across the globe.
Sanskrit: The oldest language of India, Sanskrit is the root of Hindu scriptures and classical literature and many modern languages. Although it is rarely used in spoken spaces in India, and its revival primarily depends on the political context, it is still of some relevance.
Santali: The tribal language known as Santali is spoken in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand. It preserves oral traditions and indigenous folklore while using the Ol Chiki script.
Sindhi: Spoken by Sindhi communities throughout India, Sindhi is written in Devanagari and Arabic script and has a long tradition of Sufi poetry and philosophical literature. Sindhi carries a rich cultural legacy closely associated with trade.
Tamil: Spoken primarily in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Tamil has a literary history that extends more than 2,000 years, including the literature from the Sangam period. It is one of the longest-surviving classical languages and has a prolific diaspora.
Telugu: Primarily spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Telugu is a classical Dravidian language known for both its lyrics and literary tradition and vast film heritage, including the award-winning film Baahubali (2015). Telugu is often referred to as the "Italian of the East" because of its melodic quality.
Urdu: Spoken in various parts of India, including Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, Urdu is renowned for its poetry, specifically Ghazal and Nazm. Urdu is written in a modified form of the Perso-Arabic script and shares substantial heritage with Hindi.
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