NEW DELHI // India's ministry of culture is reviewing a petition to accord Malayalam, a language spoken by 34.7 million people, the status of a classical language.
The label is partly a matter of prestige, but it would also make Malayalam, which is spoken predominately in the state of Kerala, eligible for increased government funding to preserve and study the language.
A group of literary figures and politicians from there has been campaigning to secure Malayalam's classical status for more than two years. A recent report by a government-appointed committee has proved to be a setback, but Oommen Chandy, Kerala's chief minister, said last month that he would "make all efforts to see the language gets the status".
The culture ministry has not announced a time frame to make its decision.
The official criteria for a language to be labelled "classical", according to the ministry, include an antiquity of texts and recorded history dating back 1,500-2,000 years, and a literary tradition that is both ancient and original.
Apart from Sanskrit, the other three primary south Indian languages - Tamil, Telugu and Kannada - have all been deemed classical. Tamil was accorded the status in 2004, while Telugu and Kannada received it in 2008.
In a report this past summer, however, a committee from the Sahitya Akademi, the government's academy of letters, maintained that Malayalam did not pass the test of antiquity.
"It is doubtful if [Malayalam's] antiquity can be pushed back to the early centuries of the CE [Common Era]," the committee reported, explaining why Malayalam did not satisfy the age criterion of 1,500-2,000 years.
"Malayalam developed out of the west coast dialect of Old Tamil. It was during the eighth or ninth century that the west coast dialect started evolving as a separate language."
Tamil was the older language, which gave birth much later to Malayalam, the report said: "The relation between Tamil and Malayalam is like that of a parent and an offshoot."
But ONV Kurup, a Malayalam poet who in 2007 won the Jnanpith, India's highest literary award, said that Malayalam was just as old as Telugu or Kannada, and that it only shared a common protolanguage with Tamil. "Unfortunately, in that expert committee, there were no Malayalis at all, even though we suggested so many people," Mr Kurup said. "They deliberately selected people who already thought Malayalam is an inferior language."
Two years ago, a delegation of scholars headed by Mr Kurup presented the prime minister with a four-volume dossier to press the claims for Malayalam's antiquity. Mr Kurup wrote the foreword to this work.
One of the scholars, Pudussery Ramachandran, told the Press Trust of India in June that the dossier "had all scientific details proving the antiquity of Malayalam".
Mr Kurup recounted an example from literature that, he said, was a strong argument for the early development of Malayalam.
"In Silappatikaram, the fourth-century Tamil epic that was written in Cranganore in Kerala, there is a canto that contains so much Malayalam vocabulary, which is very similar to the language spoken by Malayalis today," he said.
"It's a matter of shame that, of the four Dravidian languages in south India, one language alone is marginalised in this way," Mr Kurup said.
But VRP Nayar, a prominent scholar of linguistics in Kerala, argued that languages "should be considered classical not because of government fiat, but because of the will of the people, exactly as Latin, Greek and Sanskrit were".
The practice of dubbing Indian languages classical, Mr Nayar said on Sunday, began because national political parties wished to please Tamil-language chauvinists who ran powerful state-level parties. But it quickly put the government in a miserable position, he said.
Mr Nayar insisted that "the earliest Malayalam text that we teach is from the 12th century, and before that there are a couple of inscriptions from the 9th century. Even that canto in the Silappatikaram, considered one of the five great epics in the Tamil language, has been brought up recently, when this whole question of the classical status came up. It has never been a part of historical studies of Malayalam".
A grant of a classical status to Malayalam could put the government on top of a slippery slope, he added.
"To my knowledge, most Indian languages bloomed and developed between the 10th and 12th centuries," he said. "So if Malayalam is called classical, then speakers of Marathi and Bengali and Punjabi and Gujarati will also ask for the status. So the government will be driven into the miserable situation of calling all Indian languages classical."
"Don't get me wrong. I'll be only too happy if, despite all this, Malayalam is given this status and millions of rupees are awarded to research the language," Mr Nayar said with a laugh. "But the way in which these things are being done is unscientific, and the protection of our languages shouldn't be connected with this 'classical' tag in any way."
The classical tag would make little difference to daily life, N Chandra, a businessman in Cochin, said.
"Malayalam is already alive and vibrant. It isn't like the language will die if it doesn't receive funds from the government," he said.
ssubramanian@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh600,000
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
