Sanskrit in Madrasas would help students explore their
career in subjects like Yoga and Ayurveda, besides improving their cultural perspective
Ajay Bhardwaj
Will Sanskrit resonate in Madrasas? The very idea makes one sit up because traditionally Madrasas are identified with orthodox Islamic teaching that affords hardly any chance for students to expose themselves to other streams of education.
Uttarakhand seems to be taking lead in the direction after the Dehradun-based Madrasa Welfare Society mooted a proposal to introduce Sanskrit as a subject in Madrasas.
The move comes at a time when the UP government has already undertaken slew of measures to bring about reforms in the Madrasa education system, including introduction of the NCERT books in the curriculum.
However, at a time when the number of Sanskrit readers has been dwindling, becoming a major cause of concern among Sanskrit scholars, the initiative of the Uttaranchal society has come in as a whiff of fresh air, reminiscent of the times when the Muslims would
fondly take to Sanskrit to widen their horizons of knowledge, as much as to become conversant with the
culture of the land they had come to inhabit. The 17th century Dara Shukoh, who translated Upanishads from Sanskrit to Persian, being an outstanding example of it.
The Madrasa welfare society last month sought the state government to appoint Sanskrit teachers for Madrasas which are ready to include Sanskrit in the curriculum.
If implemented, it could go a long way in dispelling misgivings about education in Madrasas and open new doors to cultural bonhomie in the state.
Not just that, it might become an example for Madrasas in other states to emulate to broaden the perspective of students who rarely get a chance to go beyond Persian or Arabic languages.
Chanting In Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, Hindu and Muslim kids recite ‘Gayatri Mantra’ under one roof in a madrasa. The recital of ‘Gayatri Mantra’ is a part of morning prayer in the madrasa. There are more than 100 Madrasas where basics of both Islam and Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) are taught. Surprisingly, more than 55% of the students enrolled belong to the Hindu community. |
Sibte Nabi, chairperson of the welfare society, which manages more than 200 Madrasas in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar, in a letter to Chief Minister TS Rawat said, “All 207 Madrasas that we are
connected with, are welcoming the idea of including Sanskrit in their curriculum. We want the Madrasas educated students to be able to
pursue course in Ayurveda studies, which is currently impossible since our students do not have any
understanding of the language
integral to Ayurveda studies”.
Students are also interested in studying Yoga which has been gaining popularity these days, but they find themselves completely at sea in this.
He said shedding their orthodox Islamic mindset several students and their parents had expressed a desire to learn the ancient language in order to acquire working
knowledge.
The present initiative has been undertaken purely on the basis of suggestions and requests made by students and their parents, he added.
Sanskrit Not So Alien Sanskrit, in any case, is not an alien language to the Muslims as there are a number of Islamic scholars who are well-versed in Sanskrit
as well.
Hindus in Moin-ul-Islam madrasa is perhaps the only Islamic institute which not only |
Nabi said there were around 25,000 students enrolled in the Madrasas managed by the society. The Madrasas on their own were not able to engage Sanskrit teachers because of the financial burden it would entail. So it would not be achieved without the assistance of the state government or may be that of the Central government under the Scheme to Provide Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM).
The Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board, which manages the curriculum of Madrasas and provides facilities for improvement of infrastructure, has, however, not received any formal request for the purpose.
Akhlaq Ahmad Ansari, deputy registrar of the Board said, the proposal had not yet been received by the Board. “Maybe, it would come via Chief Minister’s office with
comments or recommendations”, he said.
Ansari clarified that there were already four languages listed for students in the Madrasas. Persian and Arabic for their basic studies, English and Hindi have been added to enable them to get space in the market.
He said besides languages the students were required to study other subjects as well. Yet in the given circumstances, maybe Sanskrit as an optional subject would be introduced if the students so desired.
