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India's Digital Language Battle: How AI Saves Ancient Scripts from Extinction

The Ministry of Minority Affairs hosted a crucial workshop to tackle the preservation of classical languages in the digital age. Experts zeroed in on languages like Pali and Prakrit, stressing the need for community-driven data collection. They showcased how citizens can actively contribute speech and text through the BHASHINI platform's tools. This initiative underscores a major push to use AI for safeguarding India's rich linguistic diversity for the future.

Key Points: Minority Affairs Ministry AI Workshop Preserves Classical Languages

  • Workshop focused on preserving Pali, Prakrit, Avesta Pahlavi, and Gurmukhi script through digital means
  • Highlighted the urgent need for high-quality monolingual corpora and community-led data
  • Featured live demos of citizen contribution modes like Bolo India and Likho India
  • Aimed to build robust AI language models with golden datasets from technical workflows
3 min read

Minority Affairs Ministry focuses on preserving classical languages in digital era

Experts at a Minority Affairs Ministry workshop explore AI strategies to digitize and preserve endangered classical languages like Pali and Prakrit through the BHASHINI platform.

"Empowering communities to participate in language preservation is key to ensuring the survival and relevance of India’s linguistic heritage for future generations. - Ministry of Minority Affairs officials"

New Delhi, Dec 16

Experts explored strategies for safeguarding endangered and classical languages in the digital era at a workshop organised on Tuesday by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) under the National Language Technology Mission, an official said.

The insightful workshop on Bhasha Daan, a citizen-driven initiative under BHASHINI, is aimed at preserving the country’s rich and diverse linguistic heritage through digital means.

The workshop brought together experts, institutional stakeholders, and community representatives who paid special focus on Pali, Prakrit, Avesta Pahlavi, and the Gurmukhi script, highlighting the urgent need for developing high-quality monolingual corpora and encouraging community-led data contributions.

During the workshop, the participants were introduced to the BhashaDaan ecosystem, its significance for low-resource and classical languages, and the critical roles of contributors, institutions, and language communities.

Detailed sessions covered the end-to-end technical workflow, from data ingestion and validation to the creation of golden datasets essential for building robust AI language models, said the statement.

Live demonstrations of Bolo India, Suno India, Likho India, and Dekho India modes on the BHASHINI platform showcased how citizens can contribute speech, text, and image data in their native and classical languages.

Minority Affairs Secretary Chandra Shekhar Kumar has been laying strong emphasis on learning, documenting, and preserving classical and endangered languages through the effective use of Artificial Intelligence.

He has consistently advocated the adoption of AI-based tools across the Ministry to enhance efficiency, innovation, and evidence-based policymaking.

Chandra Shekhar Kumar has also been actively encouraging Ministry officials and staff to build AI awareness and capabilities and has promoted the organisation of such capacity-building workshops to harness technology for cultural preservation and inclusive governance, said the statement.

BHASHINI, an AI-powered platform spearheaded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is designed to break language barriers by providing digital tools for Indian languages.

The mission enables real-time text and speech translation and ensures access to digital services in citizens’ own languages, fostering digital inclusion through open-source models, datasets, and APIs, it said.

The workshop sessions on Tuesday also addressed platform operations, technical readiness, resource planning, dataset requirements, and best practices to ensure smooth and effective execution of language digitisation efforts.

Speaking on the occasion, officials from the Ministry of Minority Affairs emphasised that empowering communities to participate in language preservation is key to ensuring the survival and relevance of India’s linguistic heritage for future generations.

The workshop reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to leveraging technology for cultural preservation and inclusive development.

By aligning with BHASHINI and BhashaDaan, the Ministry of Minority Affairs aims to ensure that every language and every voice finds its rightful place in India’s digital future, said the statement.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rajesh Q
Good step, but I hope the focus is also on living endangered languages spoken by smaller communities today, not just classical ones. Digital preservation is key, but we must also ensure these languages are spoken in homes and schools. AI tools should support that.
A
Aman W
Finally, some concrete action! My grandmother knows some old songs in a dialect that's fading. I'm going to ask her to contribute via 'Suno India'. This is how we truly honour our diverse heritage. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
S
Sarah B
As a linguistics student, I'm thrilled to see this. Creating high-quality datasets for low-resource languages is the foundation for good AI/ML models. The workshop covering the technical workflow from ingestion to golden datasets is exactly what's needed. Hope they open-source everything.
K
Karthik V
A very important mission. The Gurmukhi script and its literature are a treasure. Using AI to preserve and make it accessible in the digital era is a forward-thinking approach by MoMA. More power to the community representatives involved.
N
Nikhil C
While the intent is good, I'm skeptical about execution. Will the datasets be used effectively? Will there be continuous funding? Workshops are one thing, but sustained, on-ground efforts to keep languages alive are another. Hope this isn't just a one-off event.
M

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