Sanskrit with its hoary past and liturgy now stands reduced to a dead language (“Sanskrit deserves more than slogans,” Dec.15). As part of a revival strategy, AIR has a news slot in Sanskrit, but it is a non-event. It is unfortunate that for some historical reasons, the language has been accorded a communal taint. Though the British regime did propagate English, they did not try to smother Sanskrit. The existence at that time of many Sanskrit schools is proof of this. Politicians today will try to foil any attempt in its revival with the result that this beautiful language, considered the mother of many languages of Indo-European region, will remain a dead language.
K. Rajendran,Chennai
When I did my pre-university course (the equivalent of Class 12 today) in 1961-1962, we had to choose either Tamil or Sanskrit as our second language. It was mandatory to score the prescribed marks in the subject in order to be declared as having completed the course. Otherwise you had to reappear in the subject to secure the necessary qualification. Tamil, though my mother tongue, was not preferred as it was considered difficult to obtain good marks — it has complicated grammar and a high risk of committing misspellings. Sanskrit was easier. In addition, there was comparatively liberal valuation.
Instead of making linguistic study compulsory as part of giving it the appearance of having taken steps to revamp the language, it is better to allot adequate funds for its study and research. There should be separate institutes established on the lines of the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha to teach the language, create an interest in its study and institute awards. A language can grow only when there is love for it.
V. Rajagopalan,Kumbakonam
