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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Sanskrit Village in Muslim dominated district of Assam

AI generated image Mumbai: Samskrit Bharati, an organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has planned to develop the country’s third Sanskit Village in Muslim dominated Karimganj district of Assam. The organisation has already developed two Sanskit Villages in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. “Samskrit Village is a place where every villager irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, social and financial status or educational background converses in Sanskrit,” said...

Sanskrit Village in Muslim dominated district of Assam

AI generated image Mumbai: Samskrit Bharati, an organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has planned to develop the country’s third Sanskit Village in Muslim dominated Karimganj district of Assam. The organisation has already developed two Sanskit Villages in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. “Samskrit Village is a place where every villager irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, social and financial status or educational background converses in Sanskrit,” said Shrish Deopujari, the All India Communication Chief of Samskrit Bharati in an exclusive interview to ‘The Perfect Voice’. “There are several misconceptions that are hurdles in popularisation of Sanskrit,” Deopujari said. “We are trying to do away with such misconceptions,” he said. Deopujari said that Samskrit Bharati has developed two Sanskrit Villages in Mutturu in Shivmoga district of Karnataka and Jhiri in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. “A third is being developed in Karimganj district of Assam where majority population is Muslim,” he said. In Jhiri majority population comprise of SC and OBC communities. “I know a Muslim family in Vijapur that runs one of the biggest cloth stores of the city. Their shop has over a 100 employees. The owners came in contact with Samskrit Bharati and decided to run the shop in Sanskrit language. Over 60 per cent of their employees are Muslims. People now wonder when they see hijab-clad young girls in the shop converse in fluent Sanskrit. This has even given the shop a distinct identity and a great popularity also,” Deopujari said. New Initiatives He denied that all efforts of Sanskri popularisation are centred around academic activities. “It appears so since majority of our activities involve learning and teaching. But there are many things that are being done,” he said. In Gujarat there are several places where traditional Garba is centred around Sanskrit songs. In Assam a group has composed Sanskrit songs that are suitable for Bihu dance. Similar efforts are also undertaken with respect to Rajasthani folk music and tribal music at several places. During recent visit of PM Narendra Modi to Russia a pop singer presented rendition of Atharvasheersh before him. A beetal group in London had translated all his songs to Sanskrit and their Sanskrit programs too are very popular. A famous pop singer Gabriella Burnella too presents songs in Sanskrit. She had learnt Sanskrit since she was four and later persuaded a doctorate in Sanskrit from the Oxford University. The point is all ways and means are being tried to popularise Sanskrit. In fact our moto is to ensure and encourage practical use of Sanskrit in whichever way possible and free the language from the perception that it is only meant for scholarly pursuits. Sanskrit Revival Founded in 1981, Samskrit Bharati is a movement for the continuing protection, development and propagation of the Sanskrit language as well as the literature, tradition and the knowledge systems embedded in it. “Samskrit Bharati’s mission is reviving the language, rejuvenating the culture and rebuilding a nation that is Bharat!” Deopujari said. He said that the way to achieve this is to teach everybody speak Sanskrit. While making efforts to teach everybody, regardless of caste, creed, educational background, gender, financial position, etc. speak Sanskrit, the other set of efforts is aimed at making Sanskrit a link language for all Indians. “Sanskrit is not only accepted but also respected throughout the country. If Sanskrit is introduced in homes, it will impart sanskars to the entire family which is a primary need of the present day. This is all about transforming Sanskrit into a Jana Bhasha or people’s language,” he said.

Lingua Pragmatica

Updated: Mar 20

As Southern leaders like M.K. Stalin rage against Hindi, Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu offers a model of pragmatism over parochialism.

Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh

Amid the cacophony of opposition in southern states to Hindi, Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu has taken a markedly pragmatic stance by remarking recently in the state Assembly that there was no harm in learning other languages. Hindi, Naidu noted, was useful for communication across India, particularly in political and commercial hubs like Delhi. His remarks, though avoiding explicit mention of the NEP, were widely seen as an endorsement of multilingualism and a rebuke to the linguistic chauvinism that has gripped parts of the South.


Few issues in India stir political passions quite like language. It is not merely a means of communication but a marker of identity, a relic of colonial resistance, and a source of political mobilization. In the southern states, where anti-Hindi sentiment has long been entrenched, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its three-language formula have reignited old tensions. No state embodies this defiance more than Tamil Nadu, where the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by M.K. Stalin has framed the policy as an assault on its linguistic autonomy.


Naidu’s words, welcomed by his ally and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, mark a sharp contrast with the DMK’s position. Tamil Nadu’s hostility towards Hindi dates back to the 1930s, when C. Rajagopalachari’s attempt to introduce it in schools met with fierce resistance. The anti-Hindi agitations of the 1960s cemented the DMK’s ideological stance, with its first Chief Minister, C.N. Annadurai, famously warning that Hindi imposition could push Tamil Nadu towards secession.


The question, however, is whether this rigid opposition serves Tamil Nadu’s interests. While Stalin, with an eye to the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, has been relentlessly portraying Hindi as a threat to his state’s regional identity, Naidu, a partner of the BJP-led Centre, is framing it as a tool for economic mobility. His argument is not that Hindi should replace Telugu or English but that it offers a competitive advantage.


The economic case for multilingualism is compelling. Indians who speak multiple languages tend to have better job prospects, higher earnings and greater geographic mobility. Andhra Pradesh’s Telugu-speaking diaspora is a case in point. Telugus make up a significant proportion of Indian-origin professionals in the United States, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia as Naidu pointed out, hinting that this success story was built not on linguistic rigidity but on adaptability.


In a country where inter-state migration is rising and where Hindi remains the most widely spoken language, refusing to learn it amounts to self-imposed isolation. Tamil Nadu’s approach, by contrast, risks limiting its youth. The DMK government has refused to implement the three-language policy, keeping schools strictly bilingual with Tamil and English. Its justification that Hindi is not necessary for global success could be true in a narrow sense but ignores the domestic context. If Tamil filmmakers can dub their movies into Hindi to expand their audience, why should Tamil students be denied access to the language that could open more doors for them within India?


The DMK has accused successive central governments, particularly under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of pushing Hindi at the expense of regional languages. Yet, rejecting Hindi outright is an overcorrection. The reality is that Hindi is an important language in India’s economic and political landscape. Naidu’s position, one of accommodation rather than confrontation, offers a middle ground that other Southern leaders would do well to consider.


Some states already recognize this. Karnataka, despite its own history of linguistic pride, has allowed Hindi to be taught as an optional language. Kerala, whose migrants work in Hindi-speaking regions and the Gulf, has been less hostile to Hindi education. Naidu’s model, balancing regional identity with practical necessity, offers a way forward. Languages should be embraced, not politicized. Southern leaders would do well to listen to him.

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