LUCKNOW: Salauddin’s pride in his son Irfan (17) has a special meaning. Irfan has topped the merit list of Uttar Madhyama-II (class XII) of Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Sanskrit Shiksha Parishad, securing 82.17% marks. The results of Uttar Madhyama-II and Purva Madhyama -II (Class X) were declared in Lucknow on Wednesday. The exams were held from February 23 to March 20.
Irfan belongs to Chandauli, a district adjacent to Varanasi in eastern UP. He left behind Shivdayal Gupta of Gangotri Devi Vidyalaya, Ballia, and Vikas Yadav of Sri Ram Tahal Vidyalaya in Pratapgarh. The two competitors were neck-and-neck at number two and three positions with 80.57% and 80.35% marks, respectively.
Irfan, a student of Sri Sampurnanand Vidyalaya in Chandauli, belongs to a family of devout Muslims. His father says Irfan made his choice clear to him that he wants to become a Sanskrit scholar and teach Sanskrit. “He is the only Muslim among the top 20 students who figure in the merit list of ClassXII and X students,” says a beaming Salauddin.
Irfan beat 13,738 students who took the Class-XII exam of the Sanskrit Board. Salauddhin (51) is a graduate and is engaged in farming in Jindaspur village under the Sakaldiha tehsil. “I am happy that Irfan has chosen a different path. He had a keen interest in Sanskrit right from the beginning and wanted to study it further. I had no problem. I encouraged him to go ahead as it was something different for a Muslim student. His diligence has borne fruits,” says Salauddhin. “For me, the interest of my child matters the most,” says Salauddin who has Irfan as his only child.
“I strongly disagree that a Muslim can’t study Sanskrit or a Hindu can’t be an Arabic or Urdu scholar,” adds Salauddin. “I have no problem with Irfan’s choice of subject?” said Salauddhin.
The proud father recalls how his son developed an interest in Sanskrit. “He started studying Sanskrit in junior classes when it was a compulsory subject. It was his choice to opt for it in class 12th, so I encouraged him,” he says.
“Irfan wants to do Shastri (equivalent to B.Ed) and Acharya (equivalent to MA) and then wants to become a Sanskrit teacher.”
Salauddin says he and his family never pushed Irfan to study. “He did not get any help from home because none of us knows Sanskrit. He would seek his teachers’ help in school and would study at home for 3-4 hours daily,” said Salauddin.
Jai Shyam Tripathi, the principal of the college where Irfan has studied, is all praise for his student. “He has always been one of the sincere students. He has brought laurels to the college.”
However, the achiever himself was not home to enjoy his moment of glory for he was out on a trip. Like Irfan, Aditya Singh, a student of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati in Ballia remained the top scorer at Purva Madhyama (high school level) with 92.5% marks.
There has been a growing trend in the Muslim community to shed stereotypes and study Sanskrit, an ancient language whose grammar was said to be developed in a scientific manner by Rishi Paanini. Last year, an Islamic institute in Kerala set an example by offering facilities to teach Sanskrit.
Students in long white robes and white head-dresses in an Islamic institution unwaveringly reciting ‘slokas’ and ‘mantras’ in Sanskrit under the watchful gaze of their Hindu gurus, is what sets apart a
Muslim educational organization in Thrissur, Kerala.
Wants to become a Sanskrit scholar
17-year-old Irfan, a student of Sri Sampurnanand Vidyalaya in Chandauli district of eastern UP, belongs to a family of devout Muslims. His father says Irfan made his choice clear to him that he wants to become a Sanskrit scholar and teach Sanskrit. Irfan beat 13,738 students who took the Class-XII exam of the Sanskrit Board. “The interest of my child matters the most,” says Salauddin who has Irfan as his only child.