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Vice-President releases updated Constitution editions in Tamil and Gujarati

February 21, 2026 5 min read Polity & Governance Art & Culture GS1 (Indian Culture Languages) GS2 (Polity Constitution)
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What Happened

  • Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan released updated editions of the Constitution of India in Tamil and Gujarati at Uprashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on February 21, 2026.
  • The release coincided with International Mother Language Day, observed annually on February 21.
  • Alongside the constitutional translations, the Vice-President also launched the 8th Edition of the Legal Glossary (English–Hindi).
  • The Vice-President highlighted India's unique distinction of making its Constitution available in multiple languages, stating that no other country offers its Constitution in as many languages.
  • He emphasised India's linguistic diversity, noting that each language — from Tamil to Kashmiri and Gujarati to Assamese — embodies centuries of heritage.

Static Topic Bridges

Indian Constitution and Language Provisions: Part XVII (Articles 343–351)

The Indian Constitution's Part XVII (Articles 343–351) deals comprehensively with official language. Article 343 declares Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union; English was to be continued for 15 years from commencement (i.e., until January 26, 1965), a period later extended indefinitely by the Official Languages Act, 1963. Article 344 provides for the constitution of an Official Language Commission and a Parliamentary Committee to review language policy. Article 350 guarantees every citizen the right to submit representations to any Union or State authority in any language used in the Union or State. Article 351 places a directive on the Union to promote the spread of Hindi and develop it to serve as a medium of India's composite culture, drawing on forms and expressions from other languages in the Eighth Schedule.

  • Article 343(1): Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union.
  • Article 343(2): English was to continue for 15 years after January 26, 1950.
  • Official Languages Act, 1963: Continued English as associate official language; came into effect on January 26, 1965.
  • Article 350A (added by 7th Amendment, 1956): Directs states to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.
  • Article 350B (added by 7th Amendment, 1956): Provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities appointed by the President.

Connection to this news: Making the Constitution available in Tamil, Gujarati, and other regional languages is a practical implementation of the constitutional spirit under Articles 350, 350A, and 350B, ensuring that constitutional knowledge is accessible to citizens in their mother tongues.

Eighth Schedule: India's Scheduled Languages

The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution lists the languages officially recognised by the Union. Originally containing 14 languages, the Eighth Schedule has been expanded through constitutional amendments to now include 22 languages. The Seventh Amendment (1956) added Sindhi; the 21st Amendment (1967) added Sindhi (correction); the 71st Amendment (1992) added Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali; the 92nd Amendment (2003) added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali. Currently, the 22 scheduled languages are: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

  • Tamil is the only language in the Eighth Schedule designated as a "Classical Language" along with Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia.
  • Tamil was the first modern Indian language to receive Classical Language status (in 2004).
  • Gujarati is listed in the Eighth Schedule since the original Constitution (1950).
  • Demands persist for inclusion of languages like Tulu, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, and Kokborok in the Eighth Schedule.
  • Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule entitles a language to representation on the Official Languages Commission and development support from the Sahitya Akademi.

Connection to this news: Tamil and Gujarati are both Eighth Schedule languages with significant literary and cultural heritage; making the Constitution available in them directly serves citizens who use these as their primary languages of engagement.

International Mother Language Day and UNESCO's Multilingualism Mandate

International Mother Language Day is observed on February 21 every year, as proclaimed by UNESCO on November 17, 1999. The date commemorates the 1952 Language Movement in Dhaka (then East Pakistan), when students protesting for recognition of Bengali as a state language were killed by police — a movement that ultimately contributed to Bangladesh's independence. The UN General Assembly formally recognised the day through Resolution 56/262 in 2002. UNESCO promotes the day as part of its mandate to safeguard linguistic diversity: approximately 40% of the global population lacks access to education in a language they understand, and roughly half of the ~7,000 languages spoken globally are considered endangered.

  • February 21, 1952: Police fired on language protesters at Dhaka University — the martyrs are commemorated at the Shaheed Minar (Martyr's Monument).
  • UNESCO proclaimed the day in 1999; UN General Assembly recognised it in 2002 (Resolution 56/262).
  • India has 22 constitutionally scheduled languages and over 1,600 languages/dialects across its territory.
  • The 2011 Census recorded 121 languages with more than 10,000 speakers.
  • Linguistic States Reorganisation (1956) reorganised states along linguistic lines following the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, based on the Fazl Ali Commission report.

Connection to this news: Releasing the Constitution in regional languages on International Mother Language Day is a symbolic and substantive act — aligning India's constitutional multilingualism with UNESCO's global mission of protecting linguistic diversity.

Key Facts & Data

  • Vice-President: C.P. Radhakrishnan released the editions on February 21, 2026.
  • Occasion: International Mother Language Day.
  • Also released: 8th Edition of the Legal Glossary (English–Hindi).
  • India's Constitution is available in multiple regional language editions maintained by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
  • Constitution of India: 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule (originally 14 in 1950).
  • Tamil Classical Language status: 2004 (first modern Indian language to receive this status).
  • International Mother Language Day: Proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999, recognised by UNGA in 2002.
  • 2011 Census: 121 languages with 10,000+ speakers; over 19,500 mother tongues recorded.