Future of India in learning Sanskrit—K.S. Sudarshan

[Guest guest]

Future of India in learning Sanskrit—K.S. Sudarshan

VSK, Punjab

 

Sanskrit Bharati, the country's reputed organisation engaged in

teaching Sanskrit through simple means for the last 24 years, was

honoured with Baba Saheb Apte Birth Centenary National Sanskrit Award

on September 29 in Amritsar. The award, which consists of a cash

prize of Rs 51,000 and a citation, was presented by RSS

Sarsanghachalak Shri K.S. Sudarshan. The award was received jointly

by Shri Chamu Krishan Shastri, a renowned Sanskrit scholar, Dr

Chandkiran Saluja, president, Sanskrit Bharati, Delhi, and Prof. R.

Chandran, general secretary, Sanskrit Bharati, Tamil Nadu, on behalf

of the organisation.

 

Sanskrit Bharati, established about 24 years ago in Karnataka, now

has branches all over India and also in other parts of the world

including Asia, Europe and North America. The organisation is best

known for its innovative Ten-Day Sanskrit-Speaking Camps. More than

three and a half million people have already participated in such

camps, which involve a two-hour practice session daily. Besides these

camps, the organisation also holds programmes to provide training to

those, who act as facilitators for these camps. Thirty thousand

master trainers have been trained so far. The organisation has also

published a number of books, audiocassettes and computer CDs to

provide practical tools for learning Sanskrit. One hundred sixty-four

whole-time volunteers of Sanskrit Bharati are working all over the

country and carrying out various activities aimed at making Sanskrit

the spoken language of the masses in India.

 

Sanskrit Bharati honoured with Baba Saheb Apte Award

 

Baba Saheb Apte was the first Pracharak of RSS. He dedicated his life

to restore the pristine glory of Sanskrit. He firmly believed that

Sanskrit scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana and

Mahabharata were not the works of fiction but a sequential record of

the development of Hindu thoughts, philosophy and culture. The entire

achievement of people of India since ancient times in the fields of

science, religion, economics, medicines and social sciences have been

documented in Sanskrit. So preservation, growth and propagation of

this language is essential not only to maintain our linkage with our

glorious heritage but also to charter our path for future. Baba Saheb

Apte Samarak Samiti has been set up to carry forward the work of this

great nationalist and freedom fighter. The Samiti is working to

encourage research and recording of original Indian literature and

history to highlight the glorious past of the country.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Shri K.S. Sudarshan said Baba Saheb Apte

introduced the chanting of Sanskrit shlokas in RSS meetings. "This

marked the first step in revival of Sanskrit in the country. Baba

Saheb believed that an undercurrent of unity flowed in our nation

despite the so-called disparities and Sanskrit was one uniting factor

for the country. Sanskrit is the source of the most languages of

India and up to 70 per cent of our dialect comes from Sanskrit.

Apteji wanted that Sanskrit should be the national language of India.

Even Baba Saheb Ambedkar supported this contention," he said, adding

that it was a British conspiracy to delink people from Sanskrit and

drive them towards learning English. "This cut off the masses from

our heritage. Vast scientific knowledge is contained in Sanskrit

scriptures. Now with the shifting of focus to this language, these

age-old scientific principles defined by our people in the past are

now coming to surface," he added.

 

Shri Sudarshan stressed the need for teaching Sanskrit in all

schools. "Sanskrit sambhashan is needed. Teaching people to speak

Sanskrit will turn children to start writing it. This award is a step

to encourage people to start learning this language because future of

India is enshrined in this language," he concluded. During his tour

to Punjab the Sarsanghachalak also visited Jalianwala Bagh and paid

tributes to the martyrs. Before Shri Sudarshan, Shri C.M. Krishan

Shastri moved the audience with his speech in simple Sanskrit. It was

after his speech that many audience realised that Sanskrit was not

difficult to speak or understand.