A virtual group of students and faculty members from various institutions of National Importance, including IIT Roorkee, recently conducted an online Sanskrit conclave ‘Significance and Future of Sanskrit Studies and Allied Areas’. The group, SAMARPANAM (an acronym for Samskritaaya Arpanam), organised the event to encourage the study of the Sanskrit discipline in India and sensitise the youth on the significance of the ancient language.
"It is a matter of pride that the premier educational institutions such as IIT Roorkee have taken a commendable initiative to promote Sanskrit in an endeavour to foster constructive dialogue among the stakeholders. It aligns with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020 that reinforces the commitment towards instilling appreciation towards Indian culture and heritage through tech-driven innovation. India had been a renowned educational hub in giving birth to premier universities such as Nalanda and Takshshila. Such initiatives will go a long way in fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and New India,” said Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal.
“Sanskrit has been an integral part of Indian culture and heritage. It is also among the oldest languages in the world. Encouraging communication and studies in Sanskrit will place India as a literary hub on a global centre stage. Fostering a cross-disciplinary approach by harnessing the knowledge of diverse subjects will go a long way in realising the untapped potential of the language" said Dr Anil Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman, AICTE.
While AICTE Chairman Dr Anil Sahasrabuddhe was the keynote speaker Dr Subhash Kak (Oklahoma State University, USA), Dr M D Srinivas (Centre for Policy Studies), Chamu Krishna Shastry (Samskrit Promotion Foundation), Dr K Ramasubramanian (IIT Bombay), Dr Shrinivasa Varakhedi (Vice-Chancellor, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University), Dr Michel Danino (IIT Gandhinagar), Dr K S Kannan (IIT Madras), Dr Amitabha Ghosh, (Former Director, IIT Kharagpur) and Dr Anil Kumar Gourishetty, IIT Roorkee (Organising Secretary) also attended the event.
“We need to dig out the pearls of wisdom in Sanskrit literature which are relevant in today's world. This needs the collective effort of academics from several different disciplines. This conclave is an effort to bring researchers from several different Institutions on a common platform and will hopefully spark more focused initiatives in the future" said Dr Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.
