Sanskrit important for national progress: Amit Shah in Delhi

Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that promoting Sanskrit is not just about reviving the language but also about advancing the nation’s overall progress.

Amit Shah at Sanskrit Sambhashan Shivir Abhiyan at Delhi University Auditorium on Sunday. (Salman Ali/HT Photo)

The Delhi government, in collaboration with NGO Sanskrit Bharati, conducted free Sanskrit classes from April 23 at 1,008 locations across the city with daily two-hour sessions known as Sanskrit Sambhashan Shivirs. Shah was addressing the closing ceremony of all 1,008 camps at Delhi University.

“For thousands of years, the churning of ideas across various disciplines has produced a wealth of knowledge preserved in Sanskrit. While there is no opposition to any language, no one can be distanced from their mother tongue, and Sanskrit is the mother of nearly all Indian languages. Sanskrit’s promotion is not just about its revival, but also about advancing the nation’s overall progress. As Sanskrit becomes richer and stronger, it will, in turn, empower every language and dialect across the country,” Shah said.

Shah said that the decline of Sanskrit began even before the colonial British era, and its revival will require time and sustained effort. He said that the government is creating a favourable atmosphere across the country for the resurgence of Sanskrit. “Around 18 projects have been implemented under the Ashtaadashi scheme (to promote Sanskrit), and the government of India provides financial support for the publication, bulk purchase, and reprinting of rare Sanskrit texts,” he added.

“Sanskrit is not only the most scientific language in the world, but also possesses an unparalleled grammatical structure…Sanskrit was the first language to refine the use of meter and syllables, which has contributed to its continued vitality and relevance even today,” he added.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, who also attended the event, said it was societal bias that viewed fluency in foreign languages as a sign of intelligence while dismissing Sanskrit. “If our children speak French, German or English fluently, then we consider that child very bright and take pride in that. But when a child can speak Sanskrit with the same fluency, it is not considered a big deal,” she said.

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