“I am alone here who cannot speak in Sanskrit. But promise you that next year I will talk to you in Sanskrit. I got an opportunity in Badodara (Gujarat) to attend a 10-day Sambhashan Shibir conducted by Samskrit Bharati. But after that could I not get time to develop the skill of spoken Sanskrit. Now I am retired. I will attend the class for learning Geeta through Sanskrit. Our countrymen have given importance to English and French but not to the Sanskrit. This is a pathetic situation,” said former Chief Election Commissioner of India Shri N Gopalswamy. He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of Sanskritotsava organised by the Samskrit Bharati in Chennai on August 15.
The Samskritotsav was organised in association with some local institutions. Senior Swamiji of Ramakrishna Mission Swami Muditavadananand inaugurated the Utsava. IT professionals, IIT students, professors, teachers, students, housewives etc. participated in the utsav.
Shri Chamu Krishna Shastry, organising secretary of the Samskrit Bharati, said that Sanskrit is the fastest growing language of the world. He pointed out that when Shri Gopalswamy was the member of the Planning Commission, he not only asked to change the age-old system of teaching Samskrit, that is translation method, but also gave money for writing new textbooks as well as for training. Now those books are used in CBSE schools. “In his tenure only, Sanskrita Year, unconventional teaching centres, national manuscript mission, declaration of Vedas as world heritage and so many other activities were planned and executed. Those who call themselves as Sanskrit lovers should have an active participation like Gopalswamy,” he added.
An exhibition was also organised with the efforts of different local institutions. The boys tried to explain the exhibits in Tamil, English as well as Sanskrit. Each subject such as mathematics, science, Ayurveda, Utsavs, Samskrit Gram, dance, music, songs, etc. was having different stalls. People from all walks of life visited the exhibition. A seven-day training camp for State level full-timers of the Samskrit Bharati was also conducted in Chennai from August 11 to 17.
(FOC)
