"It Is Ours Too": Pakistan Brings Back Sanskrit, Plans Gita, Mahabharata Studies

[Muji.Iqbal]

You know Muslims living in India sometimes don't learn the local language. Like, Muslims in Maharashtra seldom speak Marahthi. I wish the Punjab schools could teach Pashto or Sindhi in classes 6-7 as regional languages. I know it is difficult already to learn Urdu (from Punjabi, Siraiki), then English, Math etc, but we need to improve regional/cultural interlinking.

Canadian Pakistanis therefore, should learn French in Canada and American Spanish in the US.

True. But for Pakistanis there is no point in learning Hindi or Punjabi.

Just Urdu. Urdu already has similarities to Hindi and Punjabi. Sadly as much as we dislike India.

 

[Goenitz]

True. But for Pakistanis there is no point in learning Hindi or Punjabi.

Just Urdu. Urdu already has similarities to Hindi and Punjabi. Sadly as much as we dislike India.

Yeah, I get that, as we can understand Hindi. However, we can't read that, so just to broaden our horizon, we should learn, and it will be easy. I remember Arabic grammar was taught during my school days. Previously, it was Persian in my mom's time. She could speak Persian back then.

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

Yeah, I get that, as we can understand Hindi. However, we can't read that, so just to broaden our horizon, we should learn, and it will be easy. I remember Arabic grammar was taught during my school days. Previously, it was Persian in my mom's time. She could speak Persian back then.

Correct, Sir. I concur/agree with you.

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

Yeah, I get that, as we can understand Hindi. However, we can't read that, so just to broaden our horizon, we should learn, and it will be easy. I remember Arabic grammar was taught during my school days. Previously, it was Persian in my mom's time. She could speak Persian back then.

Yes, Farsi is spoken in Iran, but Sunni Muslims call it Dari in Afghanistan or Tajik in Tajikistan.

For Pakistanis, the three important languages are: Urdu, Farsi, and Arabic (For religion).

Turkish is only spoken in Turkey. lol. That Ataturk who was a Kaafir and a traitor. lol.

 

[The Equalizer]

Interesting.

Nobody in the subcontinent really speaks classical Sanskrit anymore. Maybe culture nerds among west-bengalis speak something that resembles it but otherwise its a dead language like Latin.

But probably useful in order to learn about ancient texts.

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

Interesting.

Nobody in the subcontinent really speaks classical Sanskrit anymore. Maybe culture nerds among west-bengalis speak something that resembles it but otherwise its a dead language like Latin.

But probably useful in order to learn about ancient texts.

Yes Sanskrit is useful for reading old texts.

 

[Watandar]

It's a university, if they choose to teach this as a subject, its their prerogative.

 

[Oscar]

This may actually be very useful regardless - if anything Sanskrit learning should be useful to be even taught at intelligence agencies.

 

[Meengla]

Nobody in the subcontinent really speaks classical Sanskrit anymore. Maybe culture nerds among west-bengalis speak something that resembles it but otherwise its a dead language like Latin.

No, Sanskrit and Hebrew languages are alive again and flourishing.
Speaking of this thread, I learned to read and even write simple Sanskrit during my visits to India in the 1980s while visiting family members. And it wasn't that hard because, at least during those days, there were plenty of Urdu words and once you recognize the letters of the alphabet then Hindi and Urdu are remarkably similar!! I even brought a few fiction books to Pakistan to continue learning.
Back then, in India, movie titles, script and railway stations had Urdu in them as another language. But I suspect things have changed since then on using the Urdu words, especially since BJP came to power.
But I find Sanskrit, Farsi/Persian, Bengali to be very sweet languages.

 

[Sam6536]

You know Muslims living in India sometimes don't learn the local language. Like, Muslims in Maharashtra seldom speak Marahthi.

Not really. Depends on which Muslim ethnic group you are referring to. Marathi Muslims who find their ancestry to this region speak Marathi as their primary language.

There's another subgroup who speak Konkani, the muslims found there will speak this dialect. It's a mix of marathi and konkani.

Dakhani subgroup speaks Dakhani which is a mix persian, kannada, telugu, marathi and hindi.

Indian ancestry is a mix of religion, region, culture and ethnicity. Everything has kind of blended together.

 

[SoulSpokesman]

The Western world studies Latin/Old Greek as a part of its cultural heritage similarly SAARC countries can study Sanskrit, Pali, Arabic and Persian as part of their heritage- although the latter two also may have an utilitarian motive.

Regards

 

[panzerfaust 3]

Excellent initiative.

Pakistan is the TRUE legacy nation of Herodotus and Alexander's ancient India.

Elephant riders can piddle off back to the ganges.

 

[Xestan]

It's a strange news to me. I know someone who took a course in Sanskrit from LUMS few years ago.

 

[The Equalizer]

No, Sanskrit and Hebrew languages are alive again and flourishing.
Speaking of this thread, I learned to read and even write simple Sanskrit during my visits to India in the 1980s while visiting family members. And it wasn't that hard because, at least during those days, there were plenty of Urdu words and once you recognize the letters of the alphabet then Hindi and Urdu are remarkably similar!! I even brought a few fiction books to Pakistan to continue learning.
Back then, in India, movie titles, script and railway stations had Urdu in them as another language. But I suspect things have changed since then on using the Urdu words, especially since BJP came to power.
But I find Sanskrit, Farsi/Persian, Bengali to be very sweet languages.

From my knowledge, ancient Hebrew have been dead for almost 1500-2000 years. Present day hebrew is a recostructed language based on the language that resembles it the most today: Arabic.

Classical Sanskrit evolved into the many dialects and languages of the northern subcontinent we see today. But nobody speaks it today outside of academic circles.

 

[SecularNationalist]

Good initiative.
In our region Sanskrit is the base language behind every other language. It's a very ancient language. Sanskrit is for us what Latin is for all European languages.
I hope mullahs and religious dimwits in our country won't become a hurdle. Knowledge is always a power and why to ignore something that's shares history and connection with us.