In 1947, when India gained independence from the British rule, the problem of deciding on a common national language arose. When the constitution was framed, it recognized several common Indian languages and declared Hindi as the official language. There are around 17 major languages spoken in India apart from Hindi and English. Most people in India are acquainted with English, as it is one of the official languages used for administrative purposes.
Hindi
Hindi is the official language of India and also the widely spoken language.
English
English is widely spoken and written in almost all parts of India.
Assamese
It is the language of Assam.
Bengali
It is the official language of West Bengal.
Gujarati
It is the official language of Gujarat.
Kannada
It is a language of Karnataka, a southern state of India.
Kashmiri
This language is spoken in the northern most state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Malayalam
This language is spoken in God's own country, Kerala.
Marathi
The people of Maharashtra speak this language.
Oriya
This language is spoken in Orissa.
Punjabi
The people of the state of Punjab speak Punjabi.
Sanskrit
Known as the mother of all languages, this ancient language paved the way for many languages.
Tamil
The people of the southern state of Tamil Nadu speak Tamil.
Telugu
This language is spoken in Andhra Pradesh.
Urdu
Urdu is an old language and was spoken by the Mughals. Most Muslims in India speak Urdu.
