Minister for Culture K.C. Joseph has said that the process for according the classical language status to Malayalam is apparently in the final stages.
Inaugurating the State Institute of Languages' third showroom in the State here on Friday, the Minister said the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition along with litterateurs had held discussions with the Prime Minister in this regard. A report was also awaited on the proposed Malayalam Language University. The time was ideal as Malayalam had been made the administrative language and the first language in educational institutions in the State, he observed.
He said there was a need for more authoritative language texts and the Institute, which worked with no commercial interests, could do a lot for that. The new shop would help in spreading the Institute's works in the Malabar region which was devoid of any major cultural institutions except a few like the Kerala Folklore Akademi.
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Later, while releasing the third volume of the book ‘Kesariyude Charithra Gaveshanangal' at the District Police Co-operative Society hall here at a function organised by the Institute, Mr. Joseph said Malayalam language learning centres had been established for promoting the language outside the State. While the centres had started functioning in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Ahmadabad, steps were on to start them in other States, he added.
Writer T. Padmanabhan, A.P. Abdullakkutty, MLA, M.R. Thampan, Director, State Institute of Languages; and M.C. Sreeja, chairperson, Kannur municipality, were present.