2-day seminar to promote Sanskrit in Nov

In a bid to promote Sanskrit language in the education sector, the Bhartiya Bhasha Manch (BBM), an autonomous organisation, along with RSS-backed Bhartiya Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, will organise a two-day seminar in the national Capital in November.

Among the major issues to be raised during the seminar titled 'Rashtriya Sanskrit Sammelan', to be held on November 25 and 26, are increasing demand for foreign languages in schools as an option under the three-language formula and the decline in the enthusiasm about the Sanskrit language among the youth.

"It's alarming that the children and their parents these days choose foreign languages such as French and German, instead of Sanskrit, under the three-language formula. Through this event, we will create awareness about the language among common people and also submit a memorandum with the CBSE to promote Sanskrit in its schools," said Bhartiya Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas's Delhi coordinator Sanjay Swami.

Under the National Education Policy, students in Hindi-speaking states should learn a modern Indian language — apart from Hindi and English — and in non-Hindi-speaking states, they should learn Hindi along with the regional language and English.

Swami further said that the youth has a "very wrong" perception about the language. "We need to tell the young minds how NASA is conducting research in Sanskrit language, knowing the fact that it is the origin of most languages in the world," he said.

According to Vrashabh Prasad Jain, national coordinator of BBM, it is the first time that "valuable" inputs of common people are being collected for an "intellectual" event like this. "We are conducting a survey throughout the country, wherein we are asking people about their views and expectations from the Sanskrit language. We are receiving a very good response," he said.

During the event, teachers, students, and language enthusiasts will come together from across the states. "We are trying to make it a platform where teachers and scholars from both regular and Sanskrit schools will join hands to give the language a push," Jain added.