The Uttarakhand Government recently decided to promote the use of Sanskrit across the state. This decision was based on the positive feedback from an initial pilot program with two villages in the region.
Introduction to the Sanskrit Grams Programme
The purpose of the ‘Sanskrit Grams’ programme is to encourage citizens to use Sanskrit as part of their daily communication routine. The villages selected for this initiative had access to Sanskrit schools, enabling teachers to motivate residents to learn and regularly use Sanskrit. This decision was made at a meeting of the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Academy, which is now known as Uttaranchal Sanskrit Sansthanam Haridwar, Uttarakhand since its establishment in 2002.
Implementation Strategy
This program places particular emphasis on school-going children. The idea is to expose them to the language from a young age, starting with commonly used small sentences. Initially, the program will operate at the district level, followed by the block level, to ensure widespread promotion of the Sanskrit language.
About the Pilot Program
The villages of Kimotha in Chamoli district and Bhantola in Bageshwar district were the first to be developed as ‘Sanskrit villages’. In these regions, Sanskrit has become a common language for daily communication, and residents have even started singing folk songs in Sanskrit.
Sanskrit usage in Uttarakhand
Sanskrit is acknowledged as one of the official languages of Uttarakhand, alongside Hindi, according to Article 345 of Indian Constitution. To encourage its use, the state government operates 97 Sanskrit schools, which collectively have an average annual enrolment of about 2,100 students.
A brief look at Sanskrit
Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language, is the language of the Vedas – some of the oldest religious texts in the world. The roots of this language date back to 6th-5th century BCE and it has been written in multiple scripts like Devanāgarī, Śāradā, Bāṅglā (Bengali), Gujarātī, and various southern scripts, including Grantha. Sanskrit literature ranges from poetry to drama, composed by notable authors such as Bhāsa, Kālidāsa, Śūdraka, Bhāravi, and Māgha.
Promotion of Sanskrit by the Central Government
To facilitate the promotion of Sanskrit, the central government established the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Delhi. In addition to allocating INR 643.84 crore to this nodal authority over the last three years, the government has also supported initiatives such as financial assistance to Adarsh Sanskrit Mahavidyalayas/Shodha Sansthans, awarding merit scholarships to Sanskrit students, funding research projects/programmes, and engaging retired Sanskrit scholars for teaching. Moreover, the Non-formal Sanskrit Education (NFSE) programme has set up Sanskrit learning centres at reputed institutions across the nation, such as IITs, Ayurveda institutions, and modern colleges and universities. The Central Government recognises and encourages Sanskrit scholars with annual Presidential awards. To preserve valuable Sanskrit literature, the government also provides financial assistance for the publication and reprinting of rare Sanskrit books.
