TIRUPATI: Sanskrit helped Indian civilisation maintain its continuity, Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan remarked on Wednesday as he inaugurated the three-day National Sanskrit Convention ‘Samskrita Samunmesha’ held at the premises of the National Sanskrit University (NSU) in Tirupati.
Khan was the chief guest of the programme that was jointly organised by NSU and Samskriti Foundation in Mysuru in association with Sahitya Akademi under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture.
Addressing the national convention session, the Kerala Governor observed, “Without Sanskrit, India will not be India. It is a language that acts as a custodian of our Sanatana ideals and values. Other ancient civilisations like the Greek civilisation failed to maintain their continuity and declined in the modern world,” he added.
Khan observed, “Indian civilisation and culture has continued to sustain because it is not defined by either a particular race, language, faith or tradition. We need to explain to people how beneficial the study of the Sanskrit language is. Once people are made aware of the history of Sanskrit and its benefits, they will learn the language on their own even if it is not taught in government schools.”
Delivering his presidential address, NSU Chancellor N Gopalaswamy said the Sanskrit language is in danger due to the new language education formula adopted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at the secondary and higher secondary education levels.
Raising apprehensions over the survival of the Sanskrit language in the next five to ten years, Gopalaswamy said, “The three-language formula adopted by the CBSE for students of up to class VIII, two languages for Class IX, and X and one language for Class XI and XII, will drive them away from learning the traditional language. The three-language formula will promote English and mother tongue, but ignore Sanskrit. Students of Class IX and X will be forced to select and learn English and foreign languages like German, Spanish, and French. This will result in Sanskrit becoming the first casualty and mother tongue, the second casualty.”
“As a result, there is a potential threat that few students will study Sanskrit at the higher education level as the language will not be taught during school education. State education boards will follow what the CBSE has implemented, putting Sanskrit in danger. It is time for us to come together and fight in this regard,” he added.
Meanwhile, Governor of Assam Gulab Chand Kataria, who participated as the chief guest at the Ashtavadhanam, said Sanskrit is the main source of Indian culture.