Time to work on Sanskrit’s revival, not remembering its decline: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a favourable atmosphere has emerged across the country for the resurgence of the Sanskrit language.

Shah said the government, public, and the collective mindset are all firmly dedicated and committed to the revival and promotion of Sanskrit.

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HM Shah, who attended the closing ceremony of 1008 Sanskrit Sambhashan Shivirs in New Delhi on Sunday, said that the decline of Sanskrit began even before the era of colonial rule, and its revival will require time and sustained effort.

The Home Minister praised Sanskrit Bharati for its remarkable and courageous initiative in organising 1008 Sanskrit Sambhashan Shivirs, and said that since 1981, the organisation has been working to present the vast knowledge available in the Sanskrit language to the world and to train and enable millions of people to speak and learn the ancient language.

He highlighted that many renowned global scholars have acknowledged Sanskrit as the most scientific language.

Emphasising a forward-looking approach, he said that rather than dwelling on the history of Sanskrit’s decline, efforts should now focus on its resurgence.

Shah said that under PM Modi’s leadership, the government has launched various initiatives to promote the important language, and also mentioned that around 18 projects have been implemented under the Ashtadashi scheme, and the Government of India provides financial support for the publication, bulk purchase, and reprinting of rare Sanskrit texts.

He said that the honorarium for distinguished Sanskrit scholars has been increased.

Shah highlighted that the Modi government’s new National Education Policy (NEP) places strong emphasis on the Indian Knowledge System, with Sanskrit as its core pillar.

He noted that the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan has been elevated to the status of a Central Sanskrit University.

Shah emphasised that one of the most significant initiatives of the Modi government is a nationwide campaign with a budget of approximately Rs 500 crore aimed at collecting scattered manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit.

The minister also said that the PM has launched the Gyan Bharatam Mission with a foundational corpus of Rs 500 crore dedicated to manuscript preservation, with allocations planned in every budget going forward.

He further informed that over 52 lakh manuscripts have already been documented, around 3.5 lakh digitised, and 1,37,000 have been made available online at namami.gov.in.

To support this massive effort, a team comprising scholars from various disciplines and languages has been constituted to translate and preserve these rare manuscripts, the HM added.

As per Shah, there are now 4,000 villages in the country where all communication is conducted entirely in Sanskrit.

He noted that the Sanskrit Bharati has established 4,500 centers across 26 countries and, in 2011, organised the world’s first World Sanskrit Book Fair.

The Home Minister affirmed that while there is no opposition to any language, no one can be distanced from their mother tongue, and Sanskrit is the mother of nearly all Indian languages.

The event held here was also graced by several distinguished dignitaries, including Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.