India's ancient texts, which were predominantly written in Sanskrit, have all the answers to problems in various subjects Chemistry, Architecture, Management, Astronomy, Economics, Metallurgy and Physics, said HRD Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'. "A vast reserve of knowledge has been left behind by experts in these fields in Sanskrit. Therefore, there is a need to understand and learn this language to tap into this wealth of knowledge, not only by us but the entire world," he said. "The way to achieving an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, through various initiatives of the government like Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, Swachh Bharat is dependent on the knowledge of the ancient texts, which were all written in Sanskrit," Pokhriyal added.
Pohkriyal was speaking as the Chief Guest at the valedictory session of the first course Subhashitam Samskritam, a 12-day online spoken Sanskrit course organised by the Sanskrit Club of IIT Roorkee. Along with Pokhriyal, Prof Subhash Kak, Oklahoma State University, USA and member of Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovations Advisory Council and Shri Dinesh Kamat, All India Organising Secretary, Samskrita Bharati were guests of honour.
Speaking about how such initiatives not only spreads awareness but also sensitises the youth towards the importance of Sanskrit, Pokhriyal said, "I urge other institutes to embrace such small steps as small changes lead to something bigger. There is a need to collaborate scientific learning with ancient wisdom, which we get from Sanskrit, to better understand and find solutions to problems. The Prime Minister always reiterates that tougher challenges give way to opportunities to innovate if optimally utilised and now the present scenario has made way for such opportunities to develop."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his appreciation letter commended this initiative of IIT Roorkee and Samskrita Bharati. He said that Sanskrit has been an integral part of our tradition for ages and our Sanskrit scriptures have been vehicles of expression of Indian wisdom, philosophy, science, and ethics. He added that such events play an instrumental role in enabling participants to develop a keen interest in the language.
Extending his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', IIT Roorkee Director Prof Ajit K Chatutvedi said, "The online classes aimed to help participants learn how to speak elementary-level Sanskrit.” The programme was launched on July 5 and was open to all with a workable knowledge of an Indian language anywhere in the world. It imparted spoken Sanskrit lessons free of cost via the WebEx platform and YouTube live. Around 3,000 people between ages 18 years to 40 years from 20 countries attended the classes. The next four courses are scheduled to start from the first week of August.
