As one walks through the narrow lane circling the Sreekanteswaram temple, the holy chants from the temple waft through the air, as if preparing one for the person living at one end of that lane. There, beyond the gate inscribed with the name ‘Sivadham,’ is a man who has, for a major part of his 90 years, been talking, teaching and contributing in a myriad ways to the language of the gods.
Vasudevan Potti, whose 90 birthday celebrations on Sunday were subdued with him receiving and accepting greetings from his students, relatives, and well-wishers, says there is no India without Sanskrit.
“You cannot neglect Sanskrit, around which the entire culture of our country revolves. Youngsters these days are under the notion that learning Sanskrit won’t land them a job. That is wrong. If you are smart, you will get a job. I know IPS officers and several others who have learnt Sanskrit and leveraged it to their advantage to take them to higher positions,” he says.
One fact that is being forgotten by those who shun Sanskrit is that the State government has taken the initiative to have Sanskrit taught in schools right from the primary level. “That means more jobs for those who know Sanskrit,” he points out, adding that though there was resistance from various quarters to the idea of observing a Sanskrit Week every year, it would still go a long way in promoting the language among the youth.
Born in Karnataka, Prof. Potti lived a major part of his life in Thiruvananthapuram, during which he was a Professor of Sanskrit in the Sanskrit College, apart from contributing to the language through various positions he held with the Sanskrit University, the Kerala Literary Society and so on.
On Sunday, among those who reached his home to wish him was Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar.