Throughout the history of human civilization, language has transcended from the means of communication to something more valuable. It becomes the identity of the people who speak it. In a large country like India, there are hundreds of languages, spoken proudly by the natives. Among those Maithili is also a prominent language. It is spoken by around 40 million people in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar. However, outside the specific area where it is spoken, it has not got much recognition even though it is among the oldest language of India.
History of Maithali Language
There is a very prevalent misconception that Maithali is a dialect of Hindi and Bengali languages. However, it is not true. It is a language that is quite different from Hindi as it has a different origin. Maithali has an eastern Indic origin, while Hindi has a central origin.
The word “Maithali” is derived from the word “Mithila” which used to be a kingdom of the famous King Janaka. It is believed that Maithali was a language of citizenry. However, it also becomes a prominent language for official works during the later period and literary works were also composed in the Maithali language. The first work of this language that is found is dated back to 1224 AD and is composed by Jyotirishwar Thakur. However, during the later period, precisely during the medieval period, the Maithali language became more prominent as a literary language also when great scholars like Vidyapati, Gangesh, Vireshwar started using this language for literary purposes.
Maithali Language: In Modern Times
Even with all the perfectness, many great ancient languages have perished with time. Ancient Greek and Latin could be used as a reference for this. They were entirely perfect and acted as the lingua franca of great civilizations this world has ever seen. But they perished in the end. However, even being limited to a few districts of a state in India, the Maithali language has fared well and its speakers have tried to not only keep it alive but also bring it to the central stage of the nation.
With the continuous printing of literary works in Maithali languages by the scholars, writers, and poets of the Mithilanchal region, Sahitya Academy has accepted it in 1965. Once this language got the recognition form Sahitya Academy, it has soared to new heights with writers and poets winning thisd prestigious awards on multiple occasion. In 2003, it was also included in the Constitution of India as a recognized language among the 22 languages and it was a great achievement for Maithali speakers as the recognition imparts them with the liberty to use this language for official purposes, as a means to get the education and many more.
So the future of the Maithali language is far from sinking into oblivion. It is a flourishing and prospering language and even though it has not got the nation-wide fame and recognition, it does not imply that it is sinking into oblivion. Like many other beautiful regional languages of India, Maithili is a jewel that adds to the diversity as well as the unity of this great nation.
Views are personal.