Roorkee: A virtual students’ group from various institutes of National Importance, which includes IIT Roorkee, conducted an online Sanskrit conclave ‘Significance and Future of Sanskrit Studies and Allied Areas’.
The event was organised by the group, SAMARPANAM (an acronym for Samskritaaya Arpanam) to encourage Sanskrit discipline study and make youth aware of 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,” Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal was quoted as saying by EdexLive.
“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” Dr Anil Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman, AICTE, was quoted.
While AICTE Chairman Dr Anil Sahasrabuddhe was the keynote speaker, Dr M D Srinivas (Centre for Policy Studies), Chamu Krishna Shastry (Samskrit Promotion Foundation), Dr Subhash Kak (Oklahoma State University, USA), Dr Shrinivasa Varakhedi (Vice-Chancellor, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University), Dr K Ramasubramanian (IIT Bombay), Dr K S Kannan (IIT Madras), Dr Amitabha Ghosh, (Former Director, IIT Kharagpur), Dr Michel Danino (IIT Gandhinagar) and Dr Anil Kumar Gourishetty, IIT Roorkee (Organising Secretary) were also in attendance.
“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,” IIT Roorkee Director Dr Ajit K Chaturvedi said.