Describing Sanskrit as the mother of many Indian languages which has influenced almost all the languages of the world, Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi today said there is a need to revive it and restore its original status of being the common man's language.
Ruing the current status of the language in the country of its birth where "a select few of a particular faith or class use it due to occupational compulsions", Qureshi said a collective endeavour for its revival is needed to enable the younger generation to read the 'Upanishads' which contain rare knowledge.
Inaugurating a three-day International Sanskrit Conference at the Raj Bhawan here, the Governor said, "Many Indian languages have originated from Sanskrit and I cannot think of any foreign language which has not been influenced by this ancient Indian language.
"However, it is not getting the kind of attention it should get in the country of its birth," he said.
He said Uttarakhand which boasts of Sanskrit as its second official language must do something urgently to upgrade the infrastructure of the state's lone Sanskrit university in Haridwar so as to attract scholars from all over the world interested in doing research in ancient Indian scriptures.
Terming Sanskrit as the "language of the Gods" (Dev vani), Chief Minister Harish Rawat said it is the source of strength for the entire country.
"It has the capacity to fight diversities and tie the entire country in one single thread of cultural unity," he said.
Predicting a bright future for Sanskrit and other Indian languages over the next 10 years, Rawat said the growth of India's middle class, which is emerging as the biggest market for the rest of the world, will engender an interest the world over in languages on the verge of extinction.
Around 400 Sanskrit scholars from across the country and abroad are participating in the first-of-its-kind conference which will go on till September 28.
Sanskrit scholars from all over India and eight foreign countries-- USA, Japan, Canada, Belgium, Thailand, China, Nepal and Bangladesh-- will deliberate on methods to revive the glory of the ancient language during the three-day event being held under the auspices of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University based in Haridwar.
Papers to be read at the conference will be published in the form of a book after the event. The recommendations emerging from the conference for the promotion of the ancient language will be sent to the state government and the Centre.
Describing the conference as the "brainchild" of the Governor, Vice-chancellor of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University Mahavir Agrawal said without Qureshi's constant encouragement, they could not have thought of organising the event.
