The government is promoting the ancient language as the voice of India’s soul
At a time when food habits, exercise routines, roman-tic relationships and differing ideologies are in the news for one reason or another, could language be left behind? A row broke out recently in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, where 13 MLAs took their oath in Sanskrit. Two others who took their oath in Urdu were, however, asked to retake it in Hindi. According to the 2001 census, more than 14,000 Indians had Sanskrit as their mother tongue. While it is one of the 22 Indian languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, it is viewed as a language of religious rituals and discourse, and is barely spoken today.
But that is likely to change now. After Narendra Modi came to power three years ago, the government declared a National Sanskrit Week to promote the language in schools. In March, the BJP government in Assam decided to make Sanskrit compulsory in all state board schools up to class 8. Those keen to promote the language as a gateway to India’s ancient culture welcomed the move. Others were perplexed: was it part of a saffronisation agenda?
In 2015, the human resource development ministry set up a fresh committee (after the previous one, formed in 2014, failed to submit its report in time) to recommend a tenyear roadmap for the promotion of Sanskrit. The 12-member committee was led by former chief election commissioner N. Gopalaswami. The committee submitted a 32-page report in early 2016 in which it defines Sanskrit as the “voice of India’s soul and wisdom”. The committee has suggested that Sanskrit be promoted by making qualitative changes in the education, by integrating the language in other disciplines like maths, chemistry and physics, and by finding tools to modernise its dissemination.
This story is from the May 14, 2017 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 14, 2017 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
When BJP Asks 'Modi Vs Who', The Answer Is 'Modi Vs Common Man'
A veteran of many poll battles, Mallikarjun Kharge is facing his toughest challenge since he became Congress president in October 2022.
Jumbos, gift-wrapped
In 218 BCE, Hannibal, the great Carthaginian general, made his audacious assault on Rome from the north, crossing the Alps with his army of 30,000 men, 15,000 cavalry and most famously, 37 elephants.
The crew has landed
At the time of writing this, an all-women-led film—Crew—has clocked in₹104 crore at the worldwide box office.
The social insecurity
Parents don’t need research. They know when their children get addicted to social media.
I am not a serious person; I only do my work seriously
In an industry obsessed with fillers and filters, calling someone a chameleon could invite ire or scorn.
Tales of an ace
THE WEEK Sportsroom with Rohan Bopanna offered more than a peek into the journey of a modern Indian great
HOLY COW!
How a cattle specimen with Indian roots became the Brazilian cattle industry's billion-dollar jewel
JOINING FORCES
Unprecedented in scale and size, recent Indian military war exercises walk the talk on the theaterisation, jointness and integration effort
Sink prejudice instead
The reactions on social media following the collision of the cargo ship Dali with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge were unnecessarily derogatory.
Reality show and resurgence
You have gotta love the election season. Setting aside contentious issues like electoral bonds, rumours of electronic voting machine rigging, bribery, intimidation and wilful disinformation, the fact is that India’s Lok Sabha elections are still the biggest reality show on earth.