Guest guest Posted January 14, 2004 Report Share Posted January 14, 2004 I have passed some Sanskrit exams at the University of Pune back in the nineties. Would not call them shockingly hard. Just different. Regards, Marina Orelskaya. Dr Marina Orelskaya c/o Dpt of Performing Arts University of Pune Ganeshkhind Road Pune 411007 Maharashtra India --- p.ernest wrote: > Hi group. > > I heard yesterday, what was not very surprising, > that the Sanskrit entrance and > other exams in indian universities are shockingly > hard by western standards, > and in fact few western trained students are capable > of writing them. How true > is this. > > Phillip > > Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes./signingbonus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2004 Report Share Posted January 14, 2004 Quoting marina orelskaya <m_orelskaya: > I have passed some Sanskrit exams at the University of > Pune back in the nineties. Would not call them > shockingly hard. Just different. How are they different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 I felt they are more language oriented somehow. Comparing to the exams I had to pass elsewhere, Sanskrit exams in India are not hard but based on different material and arranged differently too. Oral exams are conducted in spoken Sanskrit, which is much simplier than the classical one. Regarding the written exams in Sanskrit, I would note two main difficulties. One has to write non-stop for hours and in clear handwriting. And there is no much room for interpretation as the answers should be given in the manner taught in the classes. For the last few years I prepare the exam question papers for the subjects I teach in India. I am sure that the students from the other fields of Sanskrit studies will find them hard. But all the questions are based on material studied. Besides, I had taken part in some Sanskrit prashnottaris at the University level and have found out that the questions are never difficult but purely specific in the terms of cultural context. Perhaps, such things may give an idea that Sanskrit exams, etc., in India are hard for indology students from the West. Regards, Marina Orelskaya. Department of Performing Arts, University of Pune, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411007, Maharashtra, India --- p.ernest wrote: > Quoting marina orelskaya <m_orelskaya: > > > I have passed some Sanskrit exams at the > University of > > Pune back in the nineties. Would not call them > > shockingly hard. Just different. > > How are they different? > > > Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes./signingbonus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 All this is absolutely correct. But could someone please illuminate on what exactly is the Non-Indian Exam all about?To the best of my knowledge and belief, the so-called Indian Examination system was modelled on the good old British system. C.Rajendran Dr.C.Rajendran Professor of Sanskrit University of Calicut Calicut University P.O Kerala 673 635 Phone: 0494-2401144 Residential address:28/1097,Rajadhani Kumaran Nair Road, Chevayur, Calicut Kerala 673 017 Phone: 0495-2354 624 Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 Am Freitag, 16. Januar 2004 06:29 schrieb marina orelskaya: > Sanskrit exams in India are not hard but based on > different material and arranged differently too. And also the objectives are somewhat different. Sanskrit studies in the West began with a somewhat romantic longing for finding 'first things' ('the original Indogermanic language', 'the original religion of mankind', etc., and later it was discovered that matters are not quite so simple as was hoped). Hence, traditionally, Western Sanskrit studies concentrate on (a) ancient India, (b) comparative Indogermanic linguistics. Traditional Sanskrit studies in India, on the other hand, primarily serve a living, traditional indigenous culture. The one approach is not in itself better than the other; rather, they could supplement each other excellently. As for difficulty: the kind of Sanskrit that is taught in most Indian educational institutions tends to be actually easier than what Western universities concentrate on, because it tends to be a later, simplified, more modern style in the language. Cf. also what Ms Orelskaya mentions: > Oral exams are conducted in spoken Sanskrit, which is > much simpler than the classical one. (Of course this does not apply to the Sanskrit Colleges, where the full range is taught.) A student of mine attended classes in Pune for a while, but she found the speed of teaching very fast - simply because an Indian whose mother tongue is derived from or heavily influenced by Sanskrit can learn the language much faster than one whose mother tongue is from a different Indogermanic subfamily (just like a Spaniard learns Latin more easily than a Swede). A course in Pune is naturally primarily meant for local students, not for the rare few students from abroad, and this too may account for the impression that studies there are difficult. RZ -- Prof. Dr. Robert J. Zydenbos Department für Asienstudien - Indologie Universität München Deutschland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2004 Report Share Posted January 18, 2004 But I feel that the present day Indian system of even Sanskrit education/examination is heavily influenced by Western University system.Linguistic/historical studies are as much a part of thew carriculam as in any Western University.Hence we have to imaginatively reconstruct even the Sastra tradition as it used to be in the pre-colonial times.The present day Indian system is a blend of Indian and "Werstern" systems. I am not entering into value judgement right now. Can we think about rerviving Sastra tradition in Indian/western Universities ?This system, with its Oral exposition,/ memorising/articulating/purvapaksa/samadhana.method is not alive now. Swami Agehananda Bharati ,an anthropologist trained in Westwrn traditions who was critical of several strains of Indian though used to be greatly impressed by the intellectual tradition of India as epitomised in Sastras. C.Rajendran Dr.C.Rajendran Professor of Sanskrit University of Calicut Calicut University P.O Kerala 673 635 Phone: 0494-2401144 Residential address:28/1097,Rajadhani Kumaran Nair Road, Chevayur, Calicut Kerala 673 017 Phone: 0495-2354 624 Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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