Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages in the world, it has a high regard in Hinduism. Most of the ancient Hindu text has been drafted in Sanskrit and it is also believed to be means of communication and dialogue by the Hindu Celestial Gods. Sanskrit is also popular among other religions in the Indian region mainly in Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. As most of the population of India is dominated by these four religions, the language Sanskrit becomes of significant importance to the country. Also, Sanskrit played a huge role in establishing the wonderful history of the nation.
Unfortunately, history isn’t enough for the language to become a part of our present lives. In modern India, Sanskrit is increasingly being considered as an ancient language or merely a part of the high school curriculum. Sanskrit has seemed to have lost its charm in our nation as according to the last census “only 14,000 people described Sanskrit as their primary language, with almost no speakers in the country’s north-east, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and even Gujarat”.
Some organizations in India are working toward helping Sanskrit regain its old status, one such NGO is Sanskrit Bharati. The organization collaborates with the Sanskrit Club of the IIT-Roorkee to organize a 15-day worldwide online camp on spoken Sanskrit. This event was called ‘Subhashitam Sanskritam’ and was witnessed by over 4,800 participants from India and abroad. The classes will be followed by four advanced courses in Sanskrit.
According to Prof. Ajit Chaturvedi, Director of IIT-Roorkee “Sanskrit is among the oldest languages in the world. There is a need to explore the pearls of wisdom hidden in Sanskrit literature in disciplines such as science, astronomy, medicine, and diplomacy”. The objective of this entire event is described as a way to create awareness about the significance of Sanskrit among our generation.
This one of a kind event has been in the news for days and has in some ways impacted the entire population of the country to reassess their perception of the language. The event might have been a success, but a lot of such events are needed to make a change.
