Third International Conference on Indian Languages, New Delhi 9th January 2026

Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha –– Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ Ji; Chairman, IGNCA –– Shri Ram Bahadur Rai; Secretary General, Council for International Cooperation –– Shri Shyam Parande; Senior Linguistic, Japan –– Shri Tomio Mizokami; and other dignitaries on the dais.

It gives me immense pleasure to address the inaugural Session of the Third International Conference on Indian Languages. We have all gathered here at this Conference dedicated to one of humanity’s most profound inheritances, which is language. I am happy to learn that this is the third edition and two such editions have already been completed successfully in the previous years. I appreciate the efforts of the organisers, including Vaishvik Hindi Parivaar, Antrāraṣṭrīya Sahyog Parishad, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, and the Department of Bharatiya Bhasha, University of Delhi, for organising this conference.

Languages are the conscience of civilisation. They carry the collective memory of the society. From the dawn of human history, language has shaped thought, transmitted knowledge, and nurtured values. This ancient Indian wisdom is beautifully captured in the Upanishads which says: vāgvai paramaṃ brahma meaning that “Speech or Word is Brahma– the Creator”. From the earliest inscriptions on stone and palm leaves to the digital scripts of our times, language has shaped human progress. It has preserved our philosophies, recorded our sciences, sung our joys, and articulated our struggles. The story of humanity is, in many ways, the story of its languages.

In the Indian civilisation, language is considered more than a tool of expression. It is considered as a sacred bridge between thought and action, between the individual and the universe. India’s experience as a civilisation is deeply intertwined with linguistic plurality.  For thousands of years, our land has been a home to many languages like Sanskrit, Tamil, Pali and Prakrit, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, Urdu, Konkani, Kashmiri, Punjabi and many more. India’s ancient centres of learning—Takshila and Nalanda — were global universities of their time, where scholars from different lands studied and debated in multiple languages. Each language enriches human knowledge in philosophy, science, mathematics, medicine, poetry, and governance. This plurality is a source of strength.

When a language thrives, a civilisation breathes; when a language fades, an entire universe of thought risks being silenced. This ethos found its modern expression in the Constitution of India, that recognises and celebrates linguistic diversity. The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution honours multiple languages, affirming that unity in India rests not on uniformity, but on mutual respect. The framers of our Constitution, drew inspiration from India’s ancient civilisational wisdom. They understood that democracy flourishes when every voice can speak in its own language. In the last session many Members of Parliament spoke in regional languages which can be considered as a record in itself.

Languages have always travelled beyond borders, building bridges long before diplomacy and trade agreements. Today, we face a profound challenge.

In an increasingly globalised world, many languages, especially indigenous languages are endangered. When a language disappears, we lose not just words, but ancestral knowledge, ecological wisdom, oral histories, and cultural identity. It is here, these types of conferences step in. Through international academic collaborations we can further strengthen research on ancient scripts, palaeography, and manuscript studies.

I am happy that this conference will serve a dual role of being an academic celebration and a civilisational purpose. It calls upon us to protect linguistic diversity while embracing innovation. Technology must become an ally in this mission. Through digital archives, AI-based translation tools, multilingual education platforms, and global collaborations we can make languages available to future generations. The Government under Hon’ble Prime Minister Shriman Narendra Modiji has undertaken several focussed initiatives towards preserving the multilingual nature of Bharat.

In this larger journey of knowledge and language, initiatives like the Gyan Bharatham Mission of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji touch the very soul of India. It echoes an ancient conviction of this land—that knowledge is sacred, meant to be shared, never hoarded.

I had recently addressed the valedictory ceremony of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0, a truly memorable festival celebrating the civilisational bond between Kashi in Uttar Pradesh and Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. What unfolded there was not merely an event, but a living celebration of history, culture, and shared consciousness. This year’s inspiring theme, “Let us Learn Tamil – Tamil Karkalam”, underscored the belief that languages are bridges of understanding, never barriers of division. The Kashi–Tamil Sangamam rekindles memories of a civilisation where Sanskrit and Tamil conversed, and where spiritual quest and poetic expression nourished one another.

Our languages never existed in isolation, nor were they points of difference; they constantly exchanged ideas, ideologies, and philosophies. It is for this reason that epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata found expression in almost every Indian language, even in an age when communication was limited and travel was difficult and almost not taking place. This legacy tells every Indian—and indeed the world—that our unity was never imposed. It was felt, lived, and spoken. In celebrating this sangamam, we reaffirm a timeless truth: that India’s strength lies not in one language or one tradition, but in the harmony of many voices, the enduring spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.

Another notable achievement under the visionary leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shriman Narendra Modi Ji, is the National Education Policy 2020. The NEP celebrates the multilingual character of Bharat. The future generations of Bharat will emerge out of the schools learning at least two Indian languages. This will enhance the cognitive development of students, and at the same time it will promote national integration and cultural preservation.

India’s timeless vision of linguistic unity amidst diversity was poetically captured by the great Tamil National poet Subramania Bharati:

“முப்பது கோடி முகமுடையாள் — உயிர் மொய்ம்புற ஒன்றுடையாள்;
செப்பு மொழி பதினெட்டுடையாள் — எனிற் சிந்தனை ஒன்றுடையாள்.”

Referring to the population of his time, Bharati reminds us that though a nation may have millions of faces and many spoken languages, its life force and collective thought remain one. In this powerful verse, he celebrates unity not by erasing difference, but by embracing it—affirming that diversity of language need not fragment identity but can instead strengthen shared consciousness.

Concluding my address, I urge you all to remember that languages are living, evolving entities. The goal is not to confine them to the past, but to enable them to thrive in the present and shape the future. As we deliberate at this International Languages Conference, let us reaffirm a shared commitment, to honour linguistic diversity as a common human heritage, to protect endangered languages, and to ensure that global progress does not silence local voices.

In preserving languages, we preserve civilisations. In nurturing linguistic diversity, we are strengthening the democracy. And in celebrating every language, we uphold the dignity of humanity itself.

Jai Hind!
Long Live Mother Bharat!