The observance of a ‘Sanskrit Week’ has become a little politicised unfortunately, and I’m surprised at the opposition to the move seen in Tamil Nadu. If those who oppose it reflected for a moment on the name of any language in the world including Tamil, they are sure to come to the conclusion that they all describe a particular region. This is wonderful and essential for the identity of its people. Tamil Nadu should be proud of having such a fine language as Tamil. But the only language that does not conform to this rule is ‘Sanskrit’ or ‘Samskritam.’ It does not indicate a region, because it is not a regional language; there is no ‘Sanskritland’ as in the case of Irish that indicates the national language for Ireland.
I would humbly submit that this is because Sanskrit is the universal language. India may well be its custodian, but the whole world has a special place and a fascination for Sanskrit which no regional language can ever match.
Rutger Kortenhorst,Dublin
Tamil Nadu and other non-Hindi speaking States may be right in opposing the imposition of Hindi and it is understandable that they want all recognised Indian languages to be accorded the same status as that of Hindi with English being the sole official language and the link language of the nation. This demand is based on the principles of equity and equality. However, opposition in Tamil Nadu to the celebration of Sanskrit Week is a bit misplaced. Sanskrit is one of the world’s oldest classical languages. Most religious ceremonies are performed in that language. One may not understand it, but the rendering of slokas, for instance, has a soothing effect on the self. In effect, Sanskrit has become a part of our culture. Celebrating it for a week will not hurt anyone.
K.R. Jayaprakash Rao,Mysore
The letter-writer from Kerala (July 21) on ‘Sanskrit Week’, appears to have missed a few important points. He claims that Sanskrit is the mother of all Indian languages, which is simply not true, unless he considers Tamil not to be an Indian language.
Further, his observation on names in Tamil Nadu having a Sanskrit origin is misplaced. Names migrate from one language to another. The English language has words originating from all over the world, and it is only the rigidity of the Sanskrit scholars that has led to its death.
E. Arunan,Bangalore
The letter-writer from Kerala has been a bit hasty in his observations. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has merely stated the fact that celebrating Tamil as a classical language in Tamil Nadu is more appropriate than the idea of celebrating a language which had minuscule representation and little influence in the State. Nowhere has there been the argument that one language is superior to the other. I am sure he is aware that the influence of Sanskrit over Tamil is practically none when compared to all other Indian languages. Malayalam may be the only Indian language — apart from Devanagari — which has close links to Sanskrit. Encouraging the learning of Sanskrit by facilitation would be more appropriate than trying to impose a week-long celebration.
T. Yoganandh,Salem
The centrality of all languages in educational systems hardly needs emphasis. Of late, language teaching and learning have been sidelined, though there is greater awareness now about the key role of language skills in understanding other subjects and in expression and communication. The craze for technical and computational skills have all but overshadowed the inculcation of language skills. It is time to revisit the traditional rule-focussed mode of teaching and learning strategies. While the English language opens up windows on new ideas from across the world, first languages/‘mother tongues’ strengthen our cultural moorings. We need to remind ourselves that the neglect of language-learning is telling upon our students’ understanding of other subjects and their ability to communicate.
Mathew Varghese,Bangalore
Published - July 22, 2014 12:42 am IST
