India, Feb. 18 -- Language is a key element of culture. As poet Acharya Dandi said, "If the light of language does not exist, we will be groping in a dark world." Having over 19,500 dialects, India is a linguistic treasure trove and the most multilingual country in the world.

But as 96% of the Indian population speaks at least one of the 22 official languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution and only 121 major languages are spoken by 10,000 or more people in India, India tops Unesco's list of nations with the highest number of dialects on the verge of extinction with languages like Madhika, spoken by the Chakaliya community, as well as the Great Andamanese languages, Toda, and Balti, facing severe decline.

However, as...