Opinion: D. C. Nath (President, Patriot’s Forum) – To Save Bengali Language, We Need To Re-establish Sanskrit In Its Old Glory

DC Nath SmallPresident of Patriots Forum, D.C. Nath was superannuated in January, 1995, as the Special Director, Intelligence Bureau, D.C. Nath (IPS-1960) was associated with the International Institute of Security and Safety Management (IISSM), headquartered in New Delhi, for over 14 years, first as the Executive President & CEO and then as the President & Director General, between February, 1997 and March, 2011. The author of a highly acclaimed book, Intelligence Imperatives for India, Mr. Nath earned high plaudits from all around for two of his very significant presentations on: “Revisiting the Future of India” (2005, London) and “Lessons from India for the War On Terrorism” (2007, USA). He is the only one in the field, combining the experiences of a police officer with specialization in intelligence and strategic analysis and an industrial security expert par excellence. More Bio on D. C. Nath…

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To Save Bengali Language-Dainik Statesman 

OPINION>>>>

April 11, 2015
Dear Friends,

 

Subject: To Save Bengali Language, We Need To Re-establish Sanskrit In Its Old Glory

 

The Bengali daily published from Kolkata “Dainik Statesman” of March 27, 2015, carries a very well-informed write-up on: “Banglabhashake Banchate Abilambe Sanskritake Purna Maryaday Pratisthito Korte Habe” by one Shri Harmohan Bandopadyay. It meant if one has to save Bengali language from going into oblivion (just like any other regional languages other than Hindi), one will have to restore Sanskrit back to its past glory.

The scanned copy of some relevant portion is attached. Some very interesting as well as assuring pieces of information are:

· that there are some Sanskrit Newspapers, e.g. “Bishwasya Brihantam” in Surat, “Sanskrit Bartamanpatram” from Bhadodhara, “Sudharma from Karnataka,” Nabaprbhatam” from Kanpur, “Digbaarta” from. West Bengal has no Sanskrit newspaper.

· that there are Sanskrit Universities in the States of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan. West Bengal has none.

· it is good to know the Centre has been rather liberal in extending financial support for the teaching of Sanskrit.

· despite utter indifference on the part of the government, West Bengal still has about 700 Sanskrit teaching Tolls (make-shift teaching centres). They are somehow surviving, though dwindling.

 

Towards the end, the author has offered nine very pragmatic suggestions, that you can read in the attachment.

Friends, those of are among regular recipients of our mails, may recall there are some villages in Madhya Pradesh, where the lingua franca is spoken Sanskrit even though the villagers there are otherwise illiterate.

There was also a report that some institutes- one, near Delhi and the other one possibly in Varanashi, offer six weeks crash course–of course, residential, in spoken Sanskrit.

The point we wish to underline is that some negative-minded people unnecessarily raise the bogey that teaching Sanskrit, a dying language, according to the lot of those ignoramasses, will be an unnecessary burden on the youngsters, where the emphasis is on education through the mother tongue. There are umpteen numbers of scholars, having different mother tongues, who have mustered both Sanskrit and English, later in life without any difficulty.

It is also widely known that in some European countries as well as in US universities, the rate of students learning Sanskrit is on the rise. As a matter of fact, the University of Rome has undertaken an exercise to improve the methodolgy of teaching Sanskit.

All these will prove that the hue and cry raised when the HRD ministry replaced the teaching of Germany, prevalent in some private schools, by introducing Sanskrit in its place, was nothing but a ruse to prevent the country to know its roots better by being versed in Sanskrit.

Friends, we had initially thought of keeping the mail limited to Bengali-speaking lot but later realised it is of equal significance to all others also. This is notwithstanding the attachment being in Bengali.

 

Vandemataram,

Your sevak,

D.C. Nath

(Former Spl. Director, IB)

(President, Patriots’ Forum)

Source: Patriot Forum

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