SUMMARY

Reprioritization and New Impetus to Samskrit Education

By

Chamu Krishna Shastry

Senior Consultant Languages
Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India
chamuks56@gmail.com

There is a new found interest in Samskrit all over the world, in India in
particular. Lot of people of all age groups, creed and gender are thronging to learn
Samskrit through Speak Samskrit classes. But at the same time we see a sharp decline
in number of Samskrit students in colleges and universities, decline in sanctioned
teaching posts and a steep fall in scholarship amongst the Sanskrit teachers in
general. Samskrit is at a crossroads.
It is high time that we sit together and introspect. There is no point in blaming
the Governments and their policies when we the Samskrit fraternity ourselves have
abandoned Samskrit as a language. How do you expect the politicians to make
Samskrit as the Official Language of India when we ourselves have not made Samskrit
as the language of Samskrit scholars at least, leave apart as the language of Samskrit
classes, Samskrit departments, Samskrit Universities, Samskrit Vidyalayas or
Mahavidyalayas? Do we really love Samskrit or do we simply adore and extol it?
The mighty question is what our priorities are as far as the Samskrit Education
is concerned? Mightier question is how to educate people, policy makers and thought
leaders in particular, regarding the need and indispensability of Samskrit. The
mightiest question is how to make our own Samskrit scholars and Sanskrit teachers
agree to understand the present realities and become change agents.
The objective of Sanskrit Education is certainly to understand the past, to
appreciate the literature, to access the knowledge hidden in the Shastras and to
enrich, enlighten and empower our lives through Samskrit. But it alone will not do
much good for Samskrit. That subject alone will be more relevant and sought after
which provides solutions to present problems of the world, which caters to future
needs of the nation, which fulfils the societal aspirations, which leads to new
inventions and innovations, which promises to usher in a new era, which throws light
on undiscovered paths and that which welcomes and accepts changes. Are we,
Samskrit scholars, prepared to take up these challenges?
This is the time to debate on the immediate steps and long term action plan to
be taken for the restructuring of Samskrit Education. Some of the issues mostly talked
about or demanded by Samskrit scholars with regard to Sanskrit education are like
setting up of a Samskrit university in every state, making Samskrit learning
compulsory that too from first standard onwards, job oriented courses in Samskrit and
creating more teaching posts. A few who are acquainted or connected with modern
subjects emphasize on Samskrit Computational Linguistics, adaptation of technology
etc. All of them are good and quite essential. But perhaps we have to think
differently, going out of the box. Why dont we think beyond 2025 and start preparing
today for the post 2025 scenario?
Did anyone make any study on whether establishing Samskrit universities did
really make any difference? Is any scientific survey made on the reasons for the
decline in Samskrit students number? Is there any authentic collection of data
regarding the status of Samskrit studies? Is any proper study made regarding the
utility and shelf value of the PhD thesiss produced by Samskrit Departments? Is there
a single significant experimental project in Samskrit pedagogy anywhere that made
some impact in Sanskrit teaching? There could be a few hundred such questions which
might get nay as an answer. We have to go a long, long way. But, alas, we havent
even yet started the journey.
Are we not obsessed with what to teach? Is how to teach not equally
important if not more important? Is it not for the first time that Samskrit Pedagogy
found a full session in all the World Samskrit Conferences held till now? Was a seminar
or workshop ever held on how to teach Samskrit at college and university level? Is
there any representation from School Education in this conference? Is the demand
that Samskrit should be made compulsory and it should be taught from first standard
itself, i.e. the question that from which standard to which standard is more
important or the question whether you teach THE Samskrit or you teach ABOUT
Samskrit is more important? Our immediate attention is needed on how to teach
Samskrit at various levels and through various methods and approaches to language
teaching in order to make Samskrit learning more attractive and effective.
Some of the major issues which need our immediate attention are 1)
Stupendous task of training teachers 2) Connecting Samskrit with modern world 3)
Strategic transformation of Samskrit institutions 4) Exploring new avenues 5) Making
Sanskrit teacher relevant so that Samskrit does not become irrelevant 6) Developing
Simple Standard Samskrit (SSS) for the purposes of communication, medium of
instruction, administration etc. 7) Vision 2025 for Samskrit.
There are six needs for the development of a language 1) Speakers 2) Using it
as the medium of education, communication, entertainment, administration etc 3)
Contemporary literature 4) Continuous word generation 5) Adaptation of the
technology 6) Patronage. The first five needs are in the hands of Samskrit scholars. If
we fulfill even some of them, then the sixth one, i.e. Government Patronage or
Corporate Patronage would automatically follow.
External search for internal problems may not yield results. Accusing others will
not bring change within. Hence it is time for us to introspect deeply to shed our
differences, to chalk out a strategy, to throw out our inaction, to teach Sanskrit other
than the class hours, and to spend our time, money and energy for the popularization
of Samskrit. Let us reprioritize and have a grand strategic action plan for Samskrit.
Let us give a new impetus to Samskrit Education. Let us infuse hope and aspirations
amongst Samskrit students. Let us instill confidence amongst Samskrit teachers. Let
service and sacrifice characterize us.