♦ President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated Granth Kutir at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 23 January 2026, a dedicated space showcasing India’s vast literary and intellectual heritage preserved in its classical languages. The newly inaugurated Kutir houses a curated collection of around 2,300 books and manuscripts in 11 classical languages of India.

♦ The collection spans Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali. Five of these – Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali – were accorded classical language status by the Government of India in October 2024, expanding the list from the earlier six.

♦ The collection also includes copies of the Constitution of India in classical languages and around 50 rare manuscripts, many handwritten on traditional materials such as palm leaves, paper, bark and cloth.

♦ The Kutir has been developed through a collaborative effort involving central and state governments, universities, research institutions, cultural organisations and individual donors. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture supported the initiative, while the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is providing professional expertise in the conservation, documentation and display of manuscripts.