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

Goenitz said:
I suggest Pakistan Army should do that too. We should have an elective option like that. Then, as a nation, we can better counter the Indian narrative.
The Bhagwat Gita thing shouldn't be as widespread, though. People interested in literature/theology can study that.
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Yea how about opening ASS as an institution (Askari Sanskrit School).
Also I need to learn Sanskrit to counter Indian trolls in the comments section of YouTube.
 
The Equalizer said:
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.
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While Sanskrit isn't a dominant spoken language in large cities, several villages in India, notably in Karnataka (Mattur, Hosahalli), Madhya Pradesh (Mohad, Jhiri, Baghuwar), and Rajasthan (Ganoda), actively use it in daily life, preserving it as a vibrant community tongue through schools and cultural practices, alongside traditional centers of learning like Varanasi.
Key Sanskrit-Speaking Villages:
  • Mattur & Hosahalli (Karnataka): These twin villages are famous for residents speaking Sanskrit in homes, shops, and schools, with children learning it as a first language.
  • Mohad, Jhiri, & Baghuwar (Madhya Pradesh): These villages have strong Sanskrit traditions, with communities consciously using it for daily communication and cultural preservation.
  • Ganoda (Rajasthan): Another community making significant efforts to keep Sanskrit alive in everyday interactions.
  • Sasana (Odisha): A village known for integrating Sanskrit into its cultural fabric.

Other Notable Mentions:

Kalady, Kerala:
This is the birthplace of the philosopher Adi Shankaracharya and an important center for Sanskrit scholarship, with a major center for Sanskrit studies at the Adi Shankara Keerthi Sthamba Mandapa.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh:
Known as a major seat of Sanskrit learning, it offers extensive facilities for those interested in learning the language.

Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh:
These states have given Sanskrit the status of an official or second official language, which means it is taught in schools and officially recognized, though not necessarily spoken as a vernacular by the general population.
Organizations like Samskrita Bharati continue to work to popularize spoken Sanskrit across India through various camps and educational initiatives
 
I think LUMS or some other university in Lahore/Punjab attempted at teaching Sanskrit (or was it Hindi?) before, but couldn't get the traction - you know why. IMO, while languages are an integral and primary source of one's identity, they should not be made enemy out of by others. As an ancient language that also holds relevance for Pakistan's ancient history, Sanskrit should be taught in Pakistan, much as India should not abandon Urdu.
 
Goenitz said:
@_NOBODY_ are you learning Chinese still? I have tried Arabic thrice now, but couldn't take it further (1-2 months each time). BTW, I saw you on duolingo.
My kid daily does Spanish exercise, and I a going to improve my Italian this time till Summer.
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I had too much stuff on my plate so I had to put it on the back burner. I am thinking about studying Swedish or Norwegian since I will most likely move to Scandinavian for master's. Also, I don't use Duolingo anymore. I use Memrise. You're wise to teach your child different languages.
 
Waz said:
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For the first time since Partition, Sanskrit has made its way back into classrooms in Pakistan. The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has launched a four-credit course in the classical language, an initiative that grew out of a three-month weekend workshop that received strong interest from students and scholars.

As part of the course, students are also being exposed to the Urdu rendition of "Hai katha sangram ki", the iconic theme from the Mahabharat television series.

Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, Director of the Gurmani Centre, told The Tribune that Pakistan has one of the richest yet most neglected Sanskrit archives at the Punjab University library. "A significant collection of Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts was catalogued in the 1930s by scholar JCR Woolner, but no Pakistani academic has engaged with this collection since 1947. Only foreign researchers use it. Training scholars locally will change that," he said.

The university also aims to expand with upcoming courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. "In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata," Dr Qasmi said.






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

The university also aims to expand with upcoming courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. "In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata," Dr Qasmi said.​



The change has been brought about through the efforts of Dr Shahid Rasheed, Associate Professor of Sociology at Forman Christian College.

"Classical languages contain much wisdom for mankind. I started with learning Arabic and Persian, and then studied Sanskrit," Dr Rasheed said. Adding that he relied on learning through online platforms, studying under Cambridge Sanskrit scholar Antonia Ruppel and Australian Indologist McComas Taylor. "It took almost a year to cover classical Sanskrit grammar. And I'm still studying it."

Dr Rasheed said that people often question his choice to study Sanskrit. "I tell them, why should we not learn it? It is the binding language of the entire region. Sanskrit grammarian Panini's village was in this region. Much writing was done here during the Indus Valley Civilisation. Sanskrit is like a mountain – a cultural monument. We need to own it. It is ours too; it's not tied to any one particular religion."

He said that South Asia will see a more cohesive state of affairs if people try to learn each other's classical traditions. "Imagine if more Hindus and Sikhs in India started learning Arabic, and more Muslims in Pakistan took up Sanskrit, it could be a fresh, hopeful start for South Asia, where languages become bridges instead of barriers."
.

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Anyone who is against this is mentally absent. Sanskrit was created in the land which is now called Pakistan. I would go as far as to say that we should have revived Sanskrit and made it our national language.
 
SecularNationalist said:
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.
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Disagree with the bolded part. But it is still an excellent initiative. Sanskrit may be better regarded as 1 of (at least) 2 "base" languages relevant to our region. Persian is the other one. Both Persian and Sanskrit arose from a common family of proto-indo-european precursor languages.
 
Waz said:
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For the first time since Partition, Sanskrit has made its way back into classrooms in Pakistan. The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has launched a four-credit course in the classical language, an initiative that grew out of a three-month weekend workshop that received strong interest from students and scholars.

As part of the course, students are also being exposed to the Urdu rendition of "Hai katha sangram ki", the iconic theme from the Mahabharat television series.

Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, Director of the Gurmani Centre, told The Tribune that Pakistan has one of the richest yet most neglected Sanskrit archives at the Punjab University library. "A significant collection of Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts was catalogued in the 1930s by scholar JCR Woolner, but no Pakistani academic has engaged with this collection since 1947. Only foreign researchers use it. Training scholars locally will change that," he said.

The university also aims to expand with upcoming courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. "In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata," Dr Qasmi said.






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

The university also aims to expand with upcoming courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. "In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata," Dr Qasmi said.​



The change has been brought about through the efforts of Dr Shahid Rasheed, Associate Professor of Sociology at Forman Christian College.

"Classical languages contain much wisdom for mankind. I started with learning Arabic and Persian, and then studied Sanskrit," Dr Rasheed said. Adding that he relied on learning through online platforms, studying under Cambridge Sanskrit scholar Antonia Ruppel and Australian Indologist McComas Taylor. "It took almost a year to cover classical Sanskrit grammar. And I'm still studying it."

Dr Rasheed said that people often question his choice to study Sanskrit. "I tell them, why should we not learn it? It is the binding language of the entire region. Sanskrit grammarian Panini's village was in this region. Much writing was done here during the Indus Valley Civilisation. Sanskrit is like a mountain – a cultural monument. We need to own it. It is ours too; it's not tied to any one particular religion."

He said that South Asia will see a more cohesive state of affairs if people try to learn each other's classical traditions. "Imagine if more Hindus and Sikhs in India started learning Arabic, and more Muslims in Pakistan took up Sanskrit, it could be a fresh, hopeful start for South Asia, where languages become bridges instead of barriers."
.

Click to expand...

Kindly don't change article title please. Smile 😃
 
Mangalam Varta!
Samskritah grham gacchati!
 
Waz said:
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For the first time since Partition, Sanskrit has made its way back into classrooms in Pakistan. The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has launched a four-credit course in the classical language, an initiative that grew out of a three-month weekend workshop that received strong interest from students and scholars.

As part of the course, students are also being exposed to the Urdu rendition of "Hai katha sangram ki", the iconic theme from the Mahabharat television series.

Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, Director of the Gurmani Centre, told The Tribune that Pakistan has one of the richest yet most neglected Sanskrit archives at the Punjab University library. "A significant collection of Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts was catalogued in the 1930s by scholar JCR Woolner, but no Pakistani academic has engaged with this collection since 1947. Only foreign researchers use it. Training scholars locally will change that," he said.

The university also aims to expand with upcoming courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. "In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata," Dr Qasmi said.






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

The university also aims to expand with upcoming courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. "In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata," Dr Qasmi said.​



The change has been brought about through the efforts of Dr Shahid Rasheed, Associate Professor of Sociology at Forman Christian College.

"Classical languages contain much wisdom for mankind. I started with learning Arabic and Persian, and then studied Sanskrit," Dr Rasheed said. Adding that he relied on learning through online platforms, studying under Cambridge Sanskrit scholar Antonia Ruppel and Australian Indologist McComas Taylor. "It took almost a year to cover classical Sanskrit grammar. And I'm still studying it."

Dr Rasheed said that people often question his choice to study Sanskrit. "I tell them, why should we not learn it? It is the binding language of the entire region. Sanskrit grammarian Panini's village was in this region. Much writing was done here during the Indus Valley Civilisation. Sanskrit is like a mountain – a cultural monument. We need to own it. It is ours too; it's not tied to any one particular religion."

He said that South Asia will see a more cohesive state of affairs if people try to learn each other's classical traditions. "Imagine if more Hindus and Sikhs in India started learning Arabic, and more Muslims in Pakistan took up Sanskrit, it could be a fresh, hopeful start for South Asia, where languages become bridges instead of barriers."
.

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Idiotic decision .
 
Master Chief said:
Disagree with the bolded part. But it is still an excellent initiative. Sanskrit may be better regarded as 1 of (at least) 2 "base" languages relevant to our region. Persian is the other one. Both Persian and Sanskrit arose from a common family of proto-indo-european precursor languages.
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Yes but see Sanskrit is connected with Urdu,Punjabi or Sindhi here. If not the base language but still it has connections.
 
Muji.Iqbal said:
In Canada I am trying to learn French.

I passed the DELF A1 with 77%. I might take the DELF A2 if I have spare time.

but many Pakistanis are critical of me of not knowing Urdu which is our cultural language.

Or I only know enough Arabic to perform Islamic rituals.
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French has brutal grammar. If it wasn't for the grammar and partly the accent,I would have learned it already. I get disheartened by their grammar and often give up trying to speak with a French accent and switch to normal "r" again.
 
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