Sanskrit is mother of all Indian languages. Now the mother is looking for her children to get her the due status in her own land of birth. While Bhojpuri and other regional Indian languages are finding place in the USA as President Obama directed his department to look for people well versed in these dialects, Sanskrit is neglected in her own country.
In the recently held meeting of the Union Human Resource Development Ministry’s highest decision-taking body (Central Advisory Board on Education), some opposition ruled states voiced the need to do more for the revival of this classical language.In poll season, the non-Congress-ruled states pitching for the promotion of the Sanskrit education might sound politically motivated, but we can’t deny the fact that Sanskrit is a dying language today.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said that if he was asked what is the greatest treasure which India posses and what is her finest heritage then he would have answered unhesitatingly that it is Sanskrit language and literature and all that it contains. Unfortunately, we have almost lost this pride. Our neglect has made Sanskrit a forgotten language.
The major hurdles faced be the Sanskrit learners is that it is confined to Vedic Karma Kanda and academics. The language hardly finds any link with the growing economy. Unfortunately, we have not been able to tap the potential of Sanskrit when its utility is still there. Sanskrit contains huge treasure of science, grammar, astrology, astronomy and in the form of literature. Such richness that there are 21 words meaning “water”. Beside, Sanskrit language supports understanding of a vast number of other languages because it is member of the Indo-Iranian sub-family of the Indo-European family of language.
However, the question of survival of Sanskrit is not just survival of an ancient language but it is the survival of India’s pristine glory, rich tradition and a vast literature of science, philosophy and religion. Now language needs promotion. What needs to be done is to promote Sanskrit education at elementary level and link it to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. There are enough Universities for Sanskrit but root is needed to be strengthened. Sanskrit needs treatment like any other language and should get promotion at elementary education level. In the age of political one-upmanship and social inequality, the language is looking for some life-saving measures before it disappears from the map of spoken languages.
