Re: IIT to teach Sanskrit Sciences

["Raju Agarwal" <krantikari@hotmail.com>]

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Why would anyone object to the introduction of Sanskrit Sciences, Vedic
Mathematics, etc. in Indian schools and colleges in the name of
secularism?
Can someone define "secular education"?

It is disturbing to see the present Indian educational system give
greater
emphassis to the achievements of Europeans vis a vis Indians in the
fields
of science, mathematics, medicine, linguistics, ets.

By contrast, the Chinese educational system emphasizes the achievents of

Chinese and discounts the achievements of the West.

Its no wonder that the Chinese people have more self confidence and
national
pride, which in turn results in greater industriousness, productivity
and
ultimately, prosperity.
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At IIT Delhi, S in Sanskrit stands for Science
NIRMALA GANAPATHY



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NEW DELHI, JANUARY 9: Besides string theory and computer architecture,
students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, wiil soon have
the
option of studying Sanskrit texts and the precise science of Sanskrit
grammar.

IIT Delhi is offering its students a glimpse into Sanskrit classics
after a
directive from the Ministry for Human Resources and Development. The
ministry had sent similar letters to around 40 institutes in the
country,
including the other IITs and the Indian Institute of Science in July.
Now
almost a year later, IIT Delhi has drafted the curriculum while the
others
are yet to get back.

``Once the proposal is passed, we will send the Delhi IIT model with
another
circular to others. It's been easier to deal with IIT Delhi because they
are
here,'' said an official at the HRD ministry.

The inter-disciplinary programme in Sanskrit will be an elective course
meaning students have a choice to opt for it out of several other
courses,
most of them in the humanities and social sciences.

While the HRD Ministry wanted a full-fledged centre, IIT plans to
``integrate Sanskrit studies into the IIT system of education'' and to
start
degree-awarding programmes.

``The idea is to remove the impression that Sanskrit is just a language.

Sanskrit is on the lines of mathematics and linguistics,'' said Wagesh
Shukla of IIT's maths department, who is also a Sanskrit scholar and has

speaheaded the effort.

``We have notions of what constitutes science which comes from the West.

Sanskrit embodies an alternative approach to intellectuality,' he says
that
the proposal had been accepted in principle and only the formalities
have to
be fulfilled.

B.Tech, M.Tech and other students will have the option of studying
treatises
on sciences like the Carakasamhita or on poetics like the Rasagangadhara
or
in public administration and management like the Arthasastra.

The decision to start the programme will be ratified by the Senate, the
highest decision-making body at IIT, and then the HRD ministry. But ``in

principle'' the programme has been accepted.

But in IIT itself there is growing concern about the induction of
Sanskrit
into the system. ``Our boundaries are defined in IIT. This is like
introducing technology in Sanskrit institutions,'' said one professor on
the
condition of anonymity.

While students are confused about the utility of the course. ``It'll be
interesting as an option,'' said a final year student. ``But they should

also start some foreign language course which will help us in our
careers,''
he added. ``If you want to study Sanskrit, IIT is not the best place. I
would not take it as an option and I don't think people would go for
it,''
says Lavanya Sharan, a second-year B.Tech student.

But Shukla dismisses these murmurs of dissent. ``Why is it that anything

Indian is saffronisation? Our emphasis is on things based in science and

technology,'' he said.

The course structure would introduce students to the ``Orders of
Thinking
available in Sanskrit,'' to compare the Orders with Western thought. The

curriculum has been prepared by a core group of IIT professores and an
advisory committee with Shukla as the convener and other experts in the
field like Vidyaniwas Mishra and Kutumba Sastry of the Rashtriya
Sanskrit
Sansthan.

The other plan is to translate selected texts from Sanskrit and to
prepare
course material based on Sanskrit texts which may be used by other
institutions. IIT will also start a text encoding initiative and create
Sanskrit-based software and CDs and DVDs.

The HRD letter, dated 25 July 2000, to IIT Delhi specifically said that
the
department would ``prepare monographs on the basis of original Sanskrit
texts of various disciplines'' and to prepare textbooks for the purpose
of
using in courses.

But IIT has decided to concentrate on the scientific areas. One text
which
will be taught will be the Astadhyayi, the grammar of Sanskrit which is
``responsible for the modern linguistic sciences and is supposed to be
the
forerunner of artificial intelligence.'' The programme will also conduct

research into the use of Sanskrit as a ``programming language.''

``Sanskrit is almost like a computer language. The traditional scholar
is a
species which is dying out. Something had to be done. We want to give
our
students an opportunity with Sanskrit studies,'' Shukla said.


Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.





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