States » EastPosted at: Oct 2 2026 10:14PM


Visva-Bharati to emerge as national centre for Bengali language research after classical status

Santiniketan, Oct 2 (UNI) Visva-Bharati University set to emerge as national centre for Bengali language research.
Visva-Bharati is set to play a key national role in the study, promotion and research of Bengali following the language's recognition as a classical language by the union government.
University sources said the Vice-Chancellor received an official communication from Delhi on Thursday outlining a roadmap for the institution's role in the future development of Bengali.
The plan places emphasis on advanced research, digitisation of ancient manuscripts and historical documents, and major translation projects.
The recognition is also expected to bring greater academic and financial support for research in Bengali.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) is likely to create specialised positions for senior researchers and scholars working in the language.
The Centre is also expected to provide financial assistance to researchers for publication of books and critical translations.
The proposed initiatives will encourage interdisciplinary research connecting Bengali with subjects such as history, music, dance and philosophy, university sources said.
The union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved classical language status for Bengali on October 3, 2024, along with Marathi, Pali, Prakrit and Assamese.
Visva-Bharati's Department of Bengali is among its largest departments and has been central to the university's academic activities since it became a Central University and an Institution of National Importance in 1951.
The teaching of Bengali language and literature, however, has a much longer history at Santiniketan.
Since the establishment of Santiniketan Brahmacharyashrama in 1901, Bengali received considerable emphasis in teaching and learning.
Rabindranath Tagore, along with scholars such as Kshitimohan Sen and Nityananda Binod Goswami, was associated with the teaching of Bengali language and literature.
The Bengali department became a full-fledged department in 1951 when Visva-Bharati was established as a Central University.
It subsequently underwent several organisational and infrastructural changes.
The department came under the Bhasha-Bhavana in 2009.
Its location was shifted from the centre of the Ashrama to the Vidya-Bhavana Angana in 2004 and subsequently to the first floor of the Bhasha-Vidya Building in 2012-13.
With Bengali now enjoying classical language status, Visva-Bharati is expected to expand its existing academic work into a broader programme of research, preservation, documentation and promotion of the language and its literary heritage.
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