India celebrated Sanskrit Week this month, but how many people know that the world’s only Sanskrit daily newspaper is published from Mysuru? Not many, I guess.
Sudharma—the world’s only Sanskrit daily newspaper and the pride of Mysuru—celebrated 50 years of its existence this year. This is a living testimony to the grit and determination of Mr and Mrs Sampath Kumar, who run the paper with exemplary passion towards the language. Their love for Sanskrit and the culture it represents keeps them publishing the newspaper day in and day out.
Seeing them work relentlessly from a small printing press in their 150-year-old house in Ramachandra Agrahara was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. Jayalakshmi Sampathkumar regaled me with tales of yore and the birth and evolution of the newspaper over the years. The story of her meeting an octogenarian from Chennai who has saved every single edition of the paper from the very beginning was one of them. It seems he had been a fan and pen pal of late Shri Varadaraja Iyengar, Sampath Kumar’s father and founder of the newspaper in 1970.
The small dimly lit off-set printing press in the house reminded me of my own childhood. My parents used to publish a weekly newspaper way back in the 1980s. My early childhood was quite literally spent in a printing press. Those were the days of hand-composing and I used to be fascinated by the small metallic letters (types) neatly arranged in wooden columns. A tall and lanky fellow called Bachchu Singh would arrange them with such dexterity and precision that it all seems so magical and mystical now but that’s how it was in those days.
Jayalakshmi is truly an empowered lady. Due to her husband’s restricted physical activities because of health issues, she almost single-handedly manages the team and leads from the front. She is definitely a trend-setter in her own right and a feminist in the truest sense.
It fills us with pride when Sanskrit is revered by many people all over the world. Students in the UK and Germany learn it fervently. The question is, how are we planning to keep this so-called ‘divine language’ that connects us to our past and is a treasure house of ancient wisdom not only alive but also growing?
Mukta K Gupta
Email: muktakgupta@gmail.com