Panel recommends classical language status for Odia

The linguistic committee under the Sahitya Kala Akademi has recommended the Culture Ministry to accord classical language status to Odia language.
The development comes against the backdrop of a sustained demand from the Odia speaking people for grant the classical language status.
Welcoming the recommendation, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said grating the status was a long standing demand of the state.
He hoped the Union Cabinet would take steps to accord the status soon, said a statement issued by the state government.
AICC Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP from the state Ramchandra Khunita, also welcomed the recommendation and said "it is a long battle won for lakhs of Odias spread all over the country and even abroad".

Odia will be the next Indian language to join the exclusive classical club of Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam, a statement quoting Khunita said.
The criteria for classical language status include high antiquity value of the language's early texts (recorded history over a period of 1,500 to 2,000 years), a body of ancient literature or texts that are considered valuable heritage by generations of speakers and an original literary tradition not borrowed from another speech community.