Machine 'learns' like a human

Scientists have invented a machine that imitates the way the human brain learns new information, a step forward for artificial intelligence, researchers reported.
The system described in the journal Science is a computer model "that captures humans' unique ability to learn new concepts from a single example," the study said.
"Though the model is only capable of learning handwritten characters from alphabets, the approach underlying it could be broadened to have applications for other symbol-based systems, like gestures, dance moves, and the words of spoken and signed languages."

+1

Picture taken at the permanent exhibition "C3RV34U" at the "Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie" in Paris, dedicated to the human brain

Joshua Tenenbaum, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), said he wanted to build a machine that could mimic the mental abilities of young children.
"Before they get to kindergarten, children learn to recognize new concepts from just a single example, and can even imagine new examples they haven't seen," said Tenenbaum.
"We are still far from building machines as smart as a human child, but this is the first time we have had a machine able to learn and use a large class of real-world concepts -- even simple visual concepts such as handwritten characters -- in ways that are hard to tell apart from humans."
The system is a called a "Bayesian Program Learning" (BPL) framework, where concepts are represented as simple computer programs.
Researchers showed that the model could use "knowledge from previous concepts to speed learning on new concepts," such as building on knowledge of the Latin alphabet to learn letters in the Greek alphabet.
"The authors applied their model to over 1,600 types of handwritten characters in 50 of the world's writing systems, including Sanskrit, Tibetan, Gujarati, Glagolitic -- and even invented characters such as those from the television series Futurama," said the study.
Since humans require very little data to learn a new concept, the research could lead to new advances in artificial intelligence, the study authors said.
"It has been very difficult to build machines that require as little data as humans when learning a new concept," said Ruslan Salakhutdinov, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Toronto.
"Replicating these abilities is an exciting area of research connecting machine learning, statistics, computer vision, and cognitive science."

The machine that learns like a CHILD: Algorithm recognises and scribbles symbols that look identical to those produced by humans

• Software has been called the Bayesian Program Learning framework
• It recognises a symbol by looking at it once and copying its general shape
• The framework can even draw symbols that are hard to spot by humans
• Machines usually take hundreds of attempts to memorise visual concepts

When children are shown a new object, such as letter in the alphabet, a picture or a real-world item, they generally only need a couple of instances to be able to identify it accurately.

Machines, by comparison, have to be trained hundreds and thousands of times to not only identify an object, but also to recognise it from different angles.

But researchers have designed an algorithm to solve this problem by allowing computers to learn visually in the same way as humans do.

Scroll down for video 

+3

A computer algorithm that memorises general shapes of objects and can draw them out again has shown computers can learn visually in the same way as young children. The images above were drawn by a the computer and by a human. The machine generated symbols 1 and 2 in the top row and 2 and 1 in the second

This has allowed the machines to not only identify an object from its shape, but also draw it for themselves - much in the same way young children do when they are learning.

For example the machine can be shown a letter of the alphabet or a symbol and then draw it.

The resulting sketches were almost indistinguishable from those drawn by humans. 

Professor Joshua Tenenbaum, a cognitive scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was one of the researchers involved in the study, said: 'Before they get to kindergarten, children learn to recognise new concepts from just a single example, and can even imagine new examples they haven't seen'

+3

Humans need a couple of instances to be able to identify a symbol. It takes thousands of examples for a machine to learn one (artist's impression)

'We are still far from building machines as smart as a human child, but this is the first time we have had a machine able to learn and use a large class of real-world concepts - even simple visual concepts such as handwritten characters - in ways that are hard to tell apart from humans.'

The algorithm was created along with Dr Brenden Lake, a cognitive scientist from New York University.

When a child is shown the letter A, for example, they can identify the same shape even when it is written by different people in slightly different ways. 

Equally, showing someone a single picture of a kettle will likely be enough for that person to recognise other non-identical kettles, of different shapes and colours.

The team's program, called 'Bayesian Program Learning' (BPL) framework, was developed to work in a similar way.

When the computer is presented with a symbol - for instance, the letter A - it starts randomly generating different examples of that symbol, in various ways it could have been drawn.

Rather than looking at the symbol as a cluster of pixels, BPL memorises it as the result of a 'generative process'. 

This involves establishing which specific strokes were made to draw it. 

This approach allows the machine to recognise the letter in various guises, such as the differences between how two people draw the letter for example.

+3

In what they called a 'Visual Turing Test', the researchers showed both the handwritten and the machine-generated doodles to a group of people. Fewer than 25 per cent could spot the computer generated doodles. In the picture above the machine generated symbols are B and A in the top row and A and B in the bottom

The model was tested on more than 1,600 types of handwritten symbols in 50 different alphabets or codes. 

These included Sanskrit, Tibetan, Gujarati, Glagolitic, and even imaginary letters shown in the television series Futurama.

THE VISUAL TURING TEST 

Taking a leaf out of Alan Turing - the British computer scientist who devised a question-based test to tell the difference between a man and a machine-  the researchers asked their program and some human volunteers to invent new characters in the style of those they had been shown.

Then, in what they called a 'Visual Turing Test', both the handwritten and the machine-generated symbols were shown to another group of people, who were asked to identify which symbols had been created by the program.

 The researchers reported that fewer than 25 percent of the 'judges' managed to guess which symbols were computer-generated at a percentage significantly better than chance.

The program was consistently able to reproduce the characters after being shown only one example for each of them.

Taking it a step further, the researchers asked the machine as well as human volunteers to invent new characters in the style of those they had been shown. 

Then, in what the researchers called a 'visual Turing Test', both the handwritten and the machine-generated symbols were shown to another group of people, who were asked to identify which symbols had been created by the program. 

The researchers reported that fewer than 25 per cent of the 'judges' managed to guess which symbols were computer-generated at a percentage significantly better than chance.

'Our results show that by reverse engineering how people think about a problem, we can develop better algorithms,' explained Dr Lake, who was the lead author on the study, which is published in the journal Science.

'Moreover, this work points to promising methods to narrow the gap for other machine learning tasks.

India's Sanskrit speakers seek to revive 'dead' language

In a tiny flat in a rundown alley in New Delhi, Rakesh Kumar Misra is working against the odds to bring India's ancient Sanskrit language to the country's millions.
The 4,000-year-old classical language was traditionally used by Brahmin intellectuals and Hindu priests. Rarely spoken as a mother tongue in India, Sanskrit is often dismissed as a dead language.
But Misra is undeterred, spending up to 12 hours a day hunched over his computer, translating and writing articles for a weekly 16-page newspaper in the script.

+3

An Indian priest reads a Sanskrit newspaper as he sits inside a temple in New Delhi

"My aim is to take Sanskrit to the masses, to make it accessible to everyone," Misra, who has a masters in Sanskrit studies and sees the language as indelibly linked to India's heritage, told AFP.
Hopes of a Sanskrit revival, long pushed by Hindu hardliners, have been rising since India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi stormed to power at last year's general election.
Several ministers, although not Modi himself, took an oath of office in the revered language and a national "Sanskrit week" was later declared to promote its teaching in schools.
The first Sanskrit movie made in more than two decades (and only the third ever) was shown at a leading film festival in November in the tourism state of Goa.
Vinod Mankara, director of "Priyamanasam", about a 17th century-poet from the southern state of Kerala, said he hoped to secure government help to show the film overseas to "mesmerise foreigners" with the language.
"It's been my desire from long back to propagate the beauty of the Sanskrit language," he told AFP.
- Intolerance rising -
But the focus on Sanskrit has sparked a debate about its role in India, which has 22 official languages, many spoken by sizeable minorities.
Critics fear Hindu hardliners are promoting Sanskrit as a way of imposing Hindu superiority on the country's religious and linguistic minorities.
Mankara has rejected criticism that his film promotes Hindu ideology, calling it "pure art".
It comes at a time of raging controversy over whether the Modi government is failing to uphold India's tradition of secularism and diversity, amid rising fears of growing intolerance towards Muslims and others.
Education Minister Smriti Irani, responsible for promoting the language, denies the right-wing government has any hidden agenda and describes Sanskrit as the "voice of India's soul and wisdom".
But she faces an uphill battle popularising it in schools, where it is offered as an optional language, and where some believe it's linked with India's past not its future.
"There are a lot of languages on offer and it's difficult to deliver it everywhere," KC Tripathi, head of languages at the National Council of Educational Research and Training, a government body that advises on school curriculums.
Tripathi said the council was forming a new education policy, at the Modi government's request, that includes updating and improving the way Sanskrit is taught in schools.
- India's heritage -
Only 14,100 people speak Sanskrit as their main language, according to the latest census figures, less than one percent of India's 1.25 billion population.
Still used in Hindu prayers and chants in temples, Sanskrit is the root of many but not all Indian languages and descends from the Indo-Aryans.
It was used thousands of years ago by India's intellectuals whose manuscripts covered everything from philosophy to astronomy and medicine, not unlike Latin or Greek in the West.
"You can't think about India without thinking of Sanskrit. The intellectual heritage of India for the last 5,000 years is rooted in Sanskrit," said Ramesh Bhardwaj, head of Delhi University's Sanskrit department, the world's largest with 4,000 undergraduate students.
"This is not a dead language," he added.
Bhardwaj said he is disappointed the government has not done more to revive Sanskrit, including making it compulsory in schools, so younger generations can understand India's roots.
"They (the government) came to power in the name of nationalism which includes Sanskrit, but nothing has been done," the professor said.
Misra, who draws no salary for producing his newspaper, one of only a handful in India and distributed mainly outside Hindu temples, is under no illusions about the scale of his task.
But he said India, like any country, cannot progress without all its people, not just its elite, understanding its past.
"It shouldn't just end up becoming a language of textbooks and research."

+3

Indian participants attend a class at the Sanskrit Samvadshala on the outskirts of New Delhi

+3

Sanskrit, a 4,000 year-old classical language, was traditionally used by Brahmin intellectuals and Hindu priests but is rarely spoken as a mother tongue in India

Sanskrit fever grips Germany: 14 universities teaching India's ancient language struggle to meet demand as students clamour for courses

Will Germans be the eventual custodians of Sanskrit, its rich heritage and culture? If the demand for Sanskrit and Indology courses in Germany is any indication, that’s what the future looks like. 

Unable to cope with the flood of applications from around the world, the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, had to start a summer school in spoken Sanskrit in Switzerland, Italy and - believe it or not - India too. 

“When we started it 15 years ago, we were almost ready to shut it after a couple of years. Instead, we had to increase strength and take the course to other European countries,” said Professor Dr. Axel Michaels, head of classical Indology at the university. 

+3

The summer school in spoken Sanskrit at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, is attended by students from all over the world

In Germany, 14 of the top universities teach Sanskrit, classical and modern Indology compared to just four in the UK. The summer school spans a month in August every year and draws applications from across the globe. 

“So far, 254 students from 34 countries have participated in this course. Every year we have to reject many applications,” said Dr. Michaels. 

Apart from Germany, the majority of students come from the US, Italy, the UK and the rest of Europe. 

Professor Dr. Axel Michaels, Head of Classical Indology at the University of Heidelberg, says students from 34 countries have taken the course

Linking Sanskrit with religion and a certain political ideology was “stupid” and “detrimental to the cause” of its rich heritage, the professor said. 

“Even the core thoughts of Buddhism were in the Sanskrit language. To better understand the genesis of oriental philosophy, history, languages, sciences and culture, it’s essential to read the original Sanskrit texts as these are some of the earliest thoughts and discoveries,” he added. 

Francesca Lunari, a medical student who has been studying Sanskrit at Heidelberg University, agreed. 

“I am interested in psychoanalysis and must know how human thoughts originated through texts, cultures and societies. I will learn Bangla also to decipher the seminal works of Girindra Sekhar Bose, a pioneer of oriental psychiatry who has hardly been studied – even in India. Learning Sanskrit is the first step,” she said. 

Languages such as Bangla, in which Bose had written his theories challenging Freud, might face a crisis similar to Sanskrit because of the onslaught of English if these languages aren’t preserved within households, felt Dr Hans Harder, head of the department of modern South Asian languages and literatures (modern Indology), Heidelberg University. 

“A significant part of the global cultural heritage will become extinct if major languages like Hindi and Bangla fall prey to Indian English which, in the process, has only got poorer,” he added. 

An expert in Bangla, Hindi and Urdu apart from European languages, Harder cautioned against such a disaster as more upwardly mobile families stop teaching their own language to their children. 

Studying ethno-Indology helps contextualise and link subjects to ancient texts. 

“One can better understand evolution of politics and economics by studying Arthashastra by Chanakya,” said Dr. Michaels. 

So this semester the institute is offering a course on ‘human physiology and psychology in the early Upanishads’ by Anand Mishra, an IIT mathematics graduate who took up the study of Sanskrit for his research on evolving a more grammatically suitable computing language. 

+3

PM Narendra Modi with German Chancellor Angela Merkel

“Working on Panini’s Sanskrit grammar, I realised it could be a great tool in computing language,” said Mishra. 

Dr. Michaels feels that instead of indulging in a political and religious debate, Indians should try to preserve their heritage. 

“Don’t we conserve a rare, old painting or sculpture? This is a live language…and rich cultural heritage which might become the casualty of neglect just as great civilisations like Hampi, the art of Ajanta and temples of Konark got buried in oblivion. It was up to the British to discover them later. Sanskrit, along with its culture, philosophy and science might become similarly extinct,” he claimed, adding: “On the other hand, there is so much yet to discover through Sanskrit…details of Indus Valley civilisation, for example.” 

Germany has already been a storehouse of Sanskrit scholars to the world. 

“The majority of Sanskrit scholars, including those at Harvard, California Berkeley and the UK, are Germans,” he said. 

But why? 

“Probably because we never colonised India and maintained a romantic view about it,” quipped Dr. Michaels. 

 

'Language cannot shake secularism' 

India's secularism is not so weak that it will be shaken just because of a language, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in the backdrop of a row over Sanskrit replacing German in government-run schools in India. 

Addressing a reception for the Indian community on Monday, Modi referred to a time decades ago, when German radio had a news bulletin in Sanskrit. 

“In India, there was no news bulletin in Sanskrit at that time because perhaps it was thought that secularism would be endangered,” the prime minister said. 

Modi said India’s secularism is not so weak that it will be shaken just because of a language. One should have self-confidence. 

Self-confidence should not be shaken, he added. 

The prime minister did not elaborate, but his veiled comments assume significance as these came months after a row over replacing of German as third language in government-run Kendirya Vidyalaya schools with Sanskrit. -PTI 

 

Experts bat for Sanskrit in schools 

By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi 

Even as the row over replacing German with Sanskrit in Kendriya Vidyalays partly resurfaced in far away in Berlin, educationists back home feel that it is very important to introduce Sanskrit at the school level to enable students have a better understanding of the subject. 

“Sanskrit is an essential part of every Indian soul. Without the language, the society loses its identity. From Raja Ram Mohan Roy to Mahatma Gandhi, everyone was inspired by the language. The whole renaissance period was based on Sanskrit literature,” Professor Ramesh Bharadwaj, head of the Sanskrit department at Delhi University, told Mail Today. 

+3

Educationists feel it is important to introduce Sanskrit at school level as it will enable students to have a better understanding of the subject

Historians, meanwhile, feel that successive governments have taken no initiatives to promote the language among the people. 

“The central and state governments, which came to power after Independence, have not extended their support to the language. Our country is known for its culture, religion and philosophical ideas. One cannot treat religious sentiments and Sanskrit separately,” Bharadwaj added. 

Recently, the Human Resources Development (HRD) ministry’s internal enquiry into the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Germany, making German the third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas, has revealed that neither the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghathan (KVS) nor the ministry realised that the move was a violation of the three-language formula. 

According to the three-language formula, schools are required to teach Hindi, English and a modern Indian language in schools. Sanskrit, however, is said to be a popular option in northern states. 

“We want all Indian languages to be promoted because only five to six per cent of people in India understand English. Most of them, even today, work in their regional language. No other language can be understood if there is no proper understanding of Sanskrit,” the HoD of the Sanskrit department said. 

Meanwhile, while on his tour to Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s secularism is not so weak that it could be shaken because of a language. 

Experts feel that Modi’s statement is in accordance with the Indian Constitution. Though Modi did not elaborate on the issue, his comments are being seenin context with his government’s decision to replace German with Sanskrit in over 500 schools.

ज्ञानदानाचे कार्य सुरूच

तुटपुंजे आर्थिक पाठबळ, अत्यल्प वेतनाअभावी शिक्षकांनी फिरवलेली पाठ, खासगी क्लासेसमुळे विद्यार्थ्यांची घटती संख्या अशा अनेक विवंचनांना तोंड देत 'प्रयत्नेन आपदाम् नश्यति' या विश्वासाने ठाण्यातील 'सुरवाणी ज्ञानमंदिर संस्कृत पाठशाले'चे ज्ञानदानाचे कार्य अविरत सुरू आहे.

संस्कृत भाषा प्रसारण संस्थेची ही पाठशाळा १९५७ पासून संस्कृत भाषेचे शिक्षण देत आहे. हजारो विद्यार्थ्यांनी या पाठशाळेच्या मार्गदर्शानाखाली संस्कृत भाषेत पदवी मिळवली आहे. मात्र आज या शाळेतील विद्यार्थी संख्या हाताच्या बोटावर मोजण्याइतकी आहे. राष्ट्रीय संस्कृत संस्थान, दिल्ली यांच्याकडून शाळेला प्रतिवर्षी १ लाख ४४ हजार रुपयांचे अनुदान मिळते. या अनुदानात केवळ दोन शिक्षकांचा वार्षिक पगार दिला जातो. पण गेली तीन वर्षे हे अनुदानही मिळत नसल्याने पूर्ण आर्थिक भार संस्थेला उचलावा लागत आहे. याबाबत अनेकदा प्रयत्न करूनही कोणतेही उत्तर न मिळाल्याचे शाळेच्या मुख्याध्यापिका स्नेहल नांदेडकर यांनी सांगितले. याचबरोबर राज्य शासनाकडून प्रतिवर्षी २५ हजार रुपयांचे अनुदान दिले जाते. संपूर्ण शाळेचा खर्च भागविण्यासाठी हे अनुदान अपुरे असल्याने त्याबाबत वारंवार प्रयत्न केले जात आहेत. याबाबत शिक्षण व सांस्कृतिक मंत्री विनोद तावडे यांना लेखी पत्र दिले असून, त्यांच्याकडूनही कोणतेही उत्तर मिळाले नसल्याचे नांदेडकर यांनी सांगितले.

अत्यंत कमी वेतन हा शाळेपुढील एक मोठा प्रश्न आहे. आर्थिक ताण आणि अनुदानाची कमतरता यांमुळे शिक्षकांना पुरेसे वेतन मिळत नसल्याने शिक्षकांची कमतरता भासते. दरवर्षी महापालिकेच्या शाळेतील सुमारे ५०० मुलांना संस्कृतचे प्रशिक्षण दिले जाते. त्या शाळांमध्ये जाऊन येथील शिक्षक विद्यार्थ्यांना भाषा शिकवतात. अपुऱ्या शिक्षकसंख्येचा ताण या उपक्रमावरही पडत आहे.

खासगी क्लासेसचे स्तोम वाढत असल्याने विद्यार्थ्यांची संख्या दिवसेंदिवस खालावत असल्याचेही त्यांनी सांगितले. संस्कृत भाषेत करिअरच्या असंख्य संधी उपलब्ध असूनही त्याचा गांभिर्याने विचार होत नाही, त्यामुळे संस्कृत भाषेच्या स्वतंत्र शिकवणीलाही पालकांचा फारसा प्रतिसाद नसल्याचे दिसते. भाषा संवर्धनासाठी पाठशाळेतर्फे होणाऱ्या चर्चासत्र, व्याख्याने यांनाही प्रतिसाद मिळत नाही. संस्थेतर्फे पाचवी ते दहावीच्या विद्यार्थ्यांसाठी टिळक महाराष्ट्र विद्यापीठाच्या परीक्षांना बसविण्यात येते. यांसह प्रौढ आणि शिक्षकांसाठी स्वतंत्र संस्कृत भाषा वर्गही चालविले जातात. तसेच लहान मुलांसाठी संस्कारवर्ग आणि गर्भवती महिलांसाठी गर्भसंस्कार केंद्रही चालविले जाते.

सुरुवातीला संपूर्ण दिवस चालणारी ही शाळा सध्या विद्यार्थ्यांअभावी केवळ दोन तासांतच वर्ग बंद करावे लागतात. याबाबत शाळेच्या मुख्याध्यापिका स्नेहल नांदेडकर म्हणाल्या, 'संस्कृत भाषेत अनेक संधी असूनही या भाषेचा गांभिर्याने विचार होत नाही. पाठशाळेच्या माध्यमातून भाषा संवर्धन करण्याचा प्रयत्न होत असला तरी त्याला आर्थिक पाठबळ नाही. गेली तीन वर्षे संस्थेला अनुदान मिळत नसल्याने मोठ्या आर्थिक ताणांचा सामना करावा लागत आहे. राज्य शासनानेही अनुदान वाढवावे अशी अपेक्षा आहे. मुख्यतः या भाषेकडे पाहण्याचा पालकांचा दृष्टिकोन बदलला पाहिजे. तसेच संस्कृत भाषा जाणणारे निवृत्त शिक्षक, विद्यार्थी यांनीही सहकार्य केल्यास संस्कृत भाषेचे सुवर्णयुण पुन्हा अवतरेल.'

संस्कृतमध्ये घडले करिअर

टीव्हीवरील पौराणिक मालिकांना संदर्भ देणे, व्हॅल्यू अॅडिशन करणे, मालिकांमधील पात्र किंवा प्रसंगानुरूप नवीन संस्कृत श्लोकांची रचना करणे अशी अनेक आव्हाने पेलत कोलशेत येथील मृणाल नेवाळकर हिने संस्कृतमधील करिअरला झळाळी दिली आहे. देवभाषेत काय करिअर करणार, असा प्रश्न पडणाऱ्यांना ते 'आयटी'च्या बरोबरीने उत्पन्नाचे साधन बनू शकते, असे उत्तर मृणालने दिले आहे.

मुंबई विद्यापीठात २०१०मध्ये 'एमए' परीक्षेतील टॉपर असलेली मृणाल सध्या पौराणिक मालिकांसाठी संशोधक, मार्गदर्शक म्हणून काम करत आहे. संस्कृत दिनानिमित्त तिने 'मटा'शी संवाद साधला. संस्कृतचा अभ्यास ही सोपी गोष्ट नाही. मात्र, हा अभ्यास करणारे लोक म्हणजे करिअरची अन्य संधीच मिळाली नाही म्हणून किंवा केवळ विषय म्हणून संस्कृत शिकणारे नाहीत. संस्कृतच्या अभ्यासकांना विविध क्षेत्रांत मागणी आहे आणि त्यांना निश्चितच उज्ज्वल भवितव्य आहे, असे मृणाल आवर्जून सांगते. ती सध्या सोनी टीव्हीवरील सूर्यपूत्र कर्ण या मालिकेसाठी काम करत आहे.

मृणाल मुंबई विद्यापीठातून पीएचडी करत आहे आणि 'एमए'साठी व्हिजिटींग लेक्चरर म्हणूनही काम करत आहे. लेखक अमित त्रिपाठी यांच्याबरोबरही ती गेल्या दोन वर्षांपासून काम करत आहे. संस्कृतचा अभ्यास केल्यावर या भाषेचे क्लासेस घेण्यापलिकडेही खूप मोठे करिअर होऊ शकते, असे ती सांगते. हे करिअर अतिशय थ्रिलिंग आहे. प्रोडक्शनकडून रोज कोणत्या नव्या संदर्भांची, अभ्यासाची मागणी येईल, हे सांगता येत नाही. त्यामुळे मूळ स्क्रिप्टमध्ये व्हॅल्यू अॅडिशन करण्याचे आणि ते अधिक अर्थपूर्ण करण्याचे काम करावे लागते.

काट्यावरची डेडलाइन

मनोरंजन क्षेत्रासाठी काम करणे खूप कष्टाचे आणि विशेष अभ्यासपूर्ण आहे. मालिकेसाठी कर्णाच्या व्यक्तिमत्त्वाचे पैलू मांडणे, त्याचा बारकाईने अभ्यास करणे, ग्रंथांमधून संदर्भ शोधणे, तत्कालिन लाइफस्टाइल आणि अनुरूप श्लोकरचना करण्याचे काम असते. ऐतिहासिक, तार्किक विचार करून या गोष्टी पडताळून बघाव्या लागतात. डेडलाइन नेहमीच घड्याळाच्या काट्यावर असते.

'स्क्रिप्ट तयार आहे आणि तासाभरात शूट सुरू करतोय. नवीन श्लोक तयार करून द्या,' असा मृणालला फोन येतो आणि तिची कसरत सुरू होते. काम कमी वेळाचे, खूप कष्टाचे, अभ्यासपूर्ण आणि अधिक जबाबदारीचे असल्याचे ती सांगते. आम्ही दिलेले संदर्भ चुकले आणि ते तसेच दाखविले गेले तर, कथानकावरून लोकांचा विश्वास उडेल. नवीन पिढी याच मालिका पाहून घडत असते. त्यामुळे अशा कामावर खूप लक्ष केंद्रीत करावे लागते.

संस्कृत अभ्यासाची रिस्क

आर्ट‍्सला प्रवेश घेतल्यानंतर मुळातच मला सगळ्यांनी वेड्यात काढलं. त्यातही नंतर स्पेशलायझेशनला संस्कृत निवडल्यानंतर परिचितांनी खूप चेष्टा, हेटाळणी केली. अक्षरशः भिकेचे डोहाळे लागल्याचे उपरोधिक बोलणेही मला ऐकावे लागले. पण आता माझ्या बरोबरीच्या तथाकथित उत्तम शिक्षण झालेल्यांच्या तुलनेत मी कमी वेळात अधिक पैसे कमावते आणि खूप मोठ्या लोकांबरोबर काम करण्याची मला संधी मिळते. आता तेच परिचित मला म्हणतात, 'तू संस्कृतच्या अभ्यासाची रिस्क घेतलीस ते छान झालं.'

विद्यापीठाचा सक्रिय विभाग

भारतातील जुन्या विद्यापीठांपैकी एक असलेल्या मुंबई विद्यापीठात विविध अभ्यासक्रम शिकवले जातात. या विद्यापीठातील एक महत्त्वाचा आणि विद्यार्थ्यांसाठी अभिनव उपक्रम राबविणारा विभाग म्हणजे संस्कृत भाषा विभाग. संस्कृत दिनाच्या निमित्ताने या विभागाच्या वाटचालीचा घेतलेला आढावा...

मुंबई विद्यापीठातील संस्कृत विभागाची स्थापना २९ एप्रिल १९६१ रोजी झाली आणि २ जानेवारी १९६३ रोजी विभागाचा कार्यारंभ झाला. प्रा. डॉ. हरी दामोदर वेलणकर यांनी प्रथम विभागप्रमुख म्हणून कार्यभार स्वीकारला तर, रा. गो. भांडारकर हे विभागाचे पहिले प्राध्यापक होते. सध्या या विभागाचा कार्यभार विभागप्रमुख डॉ. गौरी माहुलकर यांच्याकडे आहे.

विभागातर्फे संस्कृत भाषेचे अनेकविध अभ्यासक्रम चालवले जातात. यातील अभ्यासक्रमांना विद्यार्थ्यांचा उत्तम प्रतिसाद मिळतो.

* एम. ए. संस्कृत

बी. ए. अभ्यासक्रम पूर्ण केलेले विद्यार्थी या अभ्याक्रमासाठी पात्र ठरतात. याशिवाय विभागात चालविले जाणारे संस्कृत प्रमाणपत्र, संस्कृत पदविका आणि प्रगत पदविका अभ्यासक्रमांचे विद्यार्थीदेखील एम. ए.पदवीचा विचार करू शकतात. नोकरी करून अभ्यास करणाऱ्या विद्यार्थ्यांसाठी दर शनिवार- रविवारी व्याख्यानांचे आयोजन केले जाते. त्यामुळे विद्यार्थ्यांना नोकरी करूनही संस्कृत भाषेची आवड जोपासता येते. या पदवीकरिता अलंकार, वेद, वेदांत आणि व्याकरण या चार विषयांपैकीच एका विषयाची निवड करावी लागते.

* एम. फिल आणि पीएचडी

हे अभ्यासक्रम निवडणाऱ्या विद्यार्थ्यांसाठी विभागातर्फे मार्गदर्शक (गाइड) उपलब्ध करून दिले जातात. यासाठी उमेदवाराची मुलाखतीद्वारे निवड होते.

* संस्कृत प्रमाणपत्र अभ्यासक्रम, संस्कृत पदविका, संस्कृत प्रगत पदविका

शाळेत केवळ गुणांसाठी संस्कृत शिकून पुढे वेगळ्याच क्षेत्रात करिअर केले जाते. पण नोकरीत स्थिर झाल्यानंतर भाषेची आवड जोपासण्यासाठी अनेकजण संस्कृत शिकवणीकडे वळतात. या अभ्याक्रमासाठी संस्कृतच्या पूर्वज्ञानाची अट नसल्याने कोणत्याही क्षेत्रातील व्यक्ती या अभ्यासक्रमासाठी पात्र ठरते. तसेच या अभ्यासक्रमामुळे करिअरच्या अनेक नव्या संधी गवसतात.

* तौलनिक पुराकथाशास्त्र पदविका

(पदव्युत्तर डिप्लोमा मायथॉलॉजी), तौलनिक पुराकथाशास्त्र प्रगत पदविका (अॅडव्हान्स डिप्लोमा इन मायथॉलॉजी)- लहानपणापासून आपण कथा ऐकतो. या कथांचा पुराकथांशी असणारा संबंध, या कथांचे महत्त्व, त्यांचा होणारा वापर यांचा अभ्यास केला जातो. हा अभ्यासक्रम पूर्ण करणाऱ्या विद्यार्थ्यांना करिअरच्याही अनेक संधी उपलब्ध होतात. या दोन अभ्यासक्रमांतील विद्यार्थ्यांच्या वाढत्या प्रतिसादामुळे विद्यार्थीक्षमता वाढवली आहे.

* भक्तीसाहित्य प्रमाणपत्र अभ्यासक्रम

यांमध्ये भक्तीसाहित्य, संत साहित्याचा अभ्यासक्रम शिकवला जातो.

* हस्तलिखितशास्त्र

प्रमाणपत्र, पदविका आणि प्रगत अभ्यासक्रम या विभागात मोडी, ब्राह्मी, शारदा, तेलगु, ग्रंथ, नेवारी अशा लिपींची ओळख करून दिली जाते. या अभ्यासक्रमाचे विद्यार्थी हस्तलिखितशास्त्रासंदर्भात संशोधनात्मक कार्यही करू शकतो.

वरील सर्व अभ्यासक्रमांसह संस्कृत भाषा संवर्धनासाठी विभागातर्फे वेळोवेळी तज्ज्ञांची व्याख्याने, राज्यस्तरीय चर्चासत्रे, स्पर्धा यांचे आयोजन केले जाते. यामुळे विद्यार्थ्यांना व्यासपीठ मिळते, असे सहाय्यक प्राध्यापिका हर्षदा सावरकर यांनी सांगितले.

गद्यकाव्याचा आद्य प्रणेता

काव्यनिर्मितीसाठी 'प्रतिभा आणि व्युत्पत्ती' या दोन गुणवत्ता असून, कवीचे मूल्यांकन या गुणांवर आधारलेले आहे. प्रतिभा म्हणजे कवीची विशिष्ट मानसिक शक्ती होय. दंडीने प्रतिभेचे 'सहज' आणि 'उत्पाद्' असे दोन प्रकार सांगितले आहेत. राजशेखरने प्रतिभेचा आणखी एक प्रकार वर्णिला आहे. त्याचे नाव आहे 'औपदेशिक.' सहज, आहार्य आणि औपदेशिक अशा तीन प्रकारच्या प्रतिभेच्या सहाय्याने रचना करणाऱ्या कवींना राजशेखरने अनुक्रमे सारस्वत, आभ्यासिक व औपदेशिक अशी नावे दिली आहेत. आपल्या प्रतिभेच्या सामर्थ्याने संस्कृत साहित्यात गद्य आणि पद्य रचना करणाऱ्या सर्वांनाच बहुधा महाकवी म्हणूनच संबोधले गेले आहे. पूर्ण काव्यमय रचना करणारे महाकवी जसे संस्कृत साहित्यात उदयास आले; तसे गद्यकाव्य लिहिणारे कवीही खूप लोकप्रिय झाले. संस्कृत साहित्यातील गद्यकाव्याचा आद्य प्रणेता म्हणून बाणभट्टाचे नाव जसे सर्वांत प्रथम डोळ्यासमोर येते; तसेच बाणभट्टाने लिहिलेल्या कादंबरी ह्या महान साहित्यकृतीचे सहजतेने स्मरण होते.

संस्कृत साहित्यातील रसिकत्वाने प्रथमपासूनच गद्यापेक्षा पद्यच विचारव्यक्तीसाठी अधिक पसंत केले. टीका, कोश, व्याकरण, दर्शने यासारख्या चिंतनात्मक आणि अभ्यासाच्या विषयासाठी सुद्धा संस्कृत साहित्यिकांनी 'पद्य-रचना' हेच साधन वापरले. लौकिक संवाद-रचनांसाठीही पद्याचाच उपयोग केला. ऋग्वेद हा प्राचीनतम ग्रंथ काव्यात्म सूत्रांत गुंफला आहे. तथापि यजुर्वेदाचा अर्धा भाग आणि अथर्ववेदाचा सहावा भाग गद्यमय आहे. म्हणजे संस्कृत, गद्य रचनांचा प्रारंभ वैदिक मंत्रकाळातच होतो. त्यानंतर सूत्रकाळात अल्पाक्षर-गद्य हा प्रकार रुढ झाला.

पदलालित्य, अलंकारयोजना, शब्दसंगती आणि दीर्घ समासरचना ही गद्य रचनेची वैशिष्ट्ये ठरतात. त्या वैशिष्ट्यांबरोबर गद्य रचनांना ऐटबाज काव्यशैली लाभली आणि गद्यकाव्य हा प्रकार तितकाच लोकप्रिय ठरला, तर

गद्य कवींना निकषं वदन्ति

ही उक्ती प्रचारात आली. दंडी, बाण आणि सबन्धु यांचे नांव गद्यकाव्याच्या इतिहासात प्राधान्याने घेतले जाते. संस्कृतमधील गद्यकाव्य हे प्रायः 'कथा आणि अख्यायिका' या दोन स्वरूपात आढळते. पीटर्सनने संस्कृत व ग्रीक गद्यकाव्यांची तुलना करून त्यातील काही साम्यस्थळे कमी केली आणि संस्कृत गद्यकाव्याचा मूळ प्रवाह ग्रीस देशातून आला, असे मत मांडले; परंतु सिल्वां लेवी, लॅकोट इ. फ्रेंच पंडितांनी त्यांचे मत पूर्णतः खोडून काढले. संस्कृत साहित्यातील गद्यरचनेची शैली, आशय आणि अंतरंग वेगळे आहे आणि ते तत्कालीन कवींचे प्रज्ञादर्शक आहे.

'कादंबरी' हा बाणभट्टांचा सुप्रसिद्ध ग्रंथ होय; तसेच चंडीशतक नावाचे शतककाव्यही बाणभट्टाने लिहिले आहे. या काव्यात स्त्रग्धरा वृत्तात चंडीदेवीचे अनेक प्रकारे स्तवन केले आहे. दिव्य लोक भूतलावर आणून उभा करणारी कादंबरी ही महाकवी बाणभट्टांची अमर साहित्यकृती आहे. शृंगार, अद्भुत व करुण या तीन रसांचा तो त्रिवेणी संगम आहे. स्वर , वर्ण, पद, रस व भाव याचा मधुर अविष्कार कादंबरीत पहायला मिळतो. बाणभट्टांची कादंबरी ही गद्यकाव्याचे उत्कृष्ट उदाहरण म्हणावे लागेल. धर्मदास नावाच्या कवीने आपल्या 'विदग्धमुखमंडन' या ग्रंथात बाणाच्या वाणीविषयी एक सुंदर रूपक उभे केले आहे. एक कवी म्हणतो काय सांगू, 'तिच्या स्वराचे, वर्णाचे आणि पदाचे सौंदर्य काय वर्णावे? ती कशी आहे?'

रुचिस्वरवर्णपदा रसभाववती जगन्मनो हरति।

रस आणि भाव तिच्या अंगी खेळत असल्यामुळे ती सर्वांची मने हरण करते. हे ऐकून दुसरा कवी विचारतो की, अशी ही तरुणी कोण आहे? त्यावर तो कवी म्हणतो..

तत्किं तरुणी न हि नहिवाणी बाणस्य मधुरशीलस्य।

छे, छे, मी त्या तरुणीविषयी बोलत नाही, तर मी मधुरस्वभावी बाणाच्या वाणीविषयी बोलतो; बाणाची वाणी ही जणू सद्गुण सौंदर्यवती तरुणी आहे आणि सारस्वताच्या विश्वात मनमोकळ्या रसिकत्वाने मुक्तपणे विहार करीत आहे. ज्ञानदेवांनीही गीतेला कोणाच्या रूपात उभे करत आहे हे सांगताना एक सुंदर ओवी लिहिली आहे.

देशियेचिये लावण्य।

हिरोनि आणिले तारुण्य।

मग रचिले अगण्य।

गीतातत्त्व।।

तत्त्वबोधाचे विवेचन म्हटल्यावर ते प्रौढ आणि गंभीर स्वरूपाचे असणार? पण मी देशभाषेचे म्हणजे मराठीचे लावण्य आणि तारुण्य आणून गीतातत्त्वाचेच सौंदर्यरूप उभे केले आहे.

ज्या संस्कृत कवींनी आपापल्या काव्यात स्वचरित्रे दिली आहेत, अशांमध्ये बाणभट्टाला अग्रस्थान द्यायला हवे. बाणभट्टाचा कालखंड निश्चितपणे ठरविण्यासाठी त्याचे ग्रंथच उपयुक्त ठरतात. त्याने आपले चरित्र 'कादंबरी'मध्ये थोडक्यात, तर 'हर्षचरित' या ग्रंथात विस्तृतपणे दिले आहे. त्याच्या वडिलांचे नाव चित्रभानू आणि आईचे नाव 'राज्यदेवी' असे होते. शोण नदीच्या तिरावरील 'प्रीतिकूट' हे बाणभट्टाचे गांव होय. बाणाच्या लहानपणीच त्याची आई वारली आणि वयाच्या १४ व्या वर्षी वडीलही वारले. आई-वडिलांच्या निधनानंतर काही वर्षे त्याने तीर्थाटन केले. त्या काळात कुसंगतीमुळे तो स्वच्छंदी बनला; पण पुनश्च घरी आल्यावर त्याचे वर्तन सुधारले. त्याने वेद-उपनिषदे, शास्त्रे याचा मनापासून अभ्यास करीत व्यासंग वाढविला. त्याच्या गुरूंचे नाव 'भूर्च' असे होते. बाणभट्ट हा सम्राट हर्षवर्धनाचा सभाकवी होता. सम्राट हर्षवर्धनाची माहिती जशी बाणभट्टाने दिली आहे, तशीच ती 'ह्युएन्त्संग' नामक व्यासंगी अशा चिनी यात्रेकरूने दिली आहे. त्या दोहोंतील माहिती सदृश आहे. इ. स. ६०० ते ६५० असा असावा. अध्ययन समाप्तीनंतर बाणभट्टाला एकदा हर्षवर्धनाकडून आमंत्रण आले; पण बाणभट्टाच्या काही खलनिंदकांनी 'अहो महानयं भुजंगः' हा मोठा भुजंग म्हणजे स्त्रीलंपट आहे, असे सांगून हर्षवर्धनाचे कान भरविले होते; पण बाणभट्टाचा यथायोग्य परिचय झाल्यावर हर्षवर्धनाला बाणभट्टाचे मोठेपण उमगले आणि त्याची प्रतिभा, विद्वत्ता आणि बुद्धीमत्ता पाहून त्याला राजाश्रय दिला. मयुरभट्ट नावाच्या एका पंडिताच्या भगिनीशी बाणाचा विवाह झाला. हा मयूरभट्ट म्हणजे स्वतःचा कुष्ठरोग जावा म्हणून सूर्यशतक लिहिणारा कवी मयूर होय. राजाश्रयाने आनंदित झालेल्या बाणभट्टाला काव्यप्रतिभेसाठी खरी मुक्तता लाभली आणि त्याच वेळी 'हर्षचरित' हा गद्यग्रंथ लिहून त्याने राजकृपेची अंशतः फेड केली. हर्षचरित हे समकालीन कवीने लिहिलेले एका बलाढ्य राजाचे चरित्र आहे. तो ग्रंथ 'आख्यायिका' या प्रकारात मोडतो. हर्षचरित व कादंबरी, चंडीशतक आणि पार्वतीपरिणय (नाटक) एवढी ग्रंथसंपदा त्याच्या नावावर असली, तरी बाणभट्टाच्या प्रतिभेची उत्तुंगता आणि लोकप्रियता उभी राहाते ती 'कादंबरी'मुळेच.

संस्कृत प्रमोशन फाउंडेशन को चाहिए 54 रिसर्चर

Advertisement / विज्ञापनम् (Last date 5-Sep-2015)

ओएनजीसी के सीएसआर योजना के अंतर्गत संस्कृत प्रमोशन फाउंडेशन ने रिसर्चर के 54 पदों पर नोटिफिकेशन जारी किया है। इच्छुक कैंडिडेट्स 5 सितम्बर तक अप्लाई कर सकते हैं। पद से संबंधित अन्य जानकारियों पर एक नजर:

वेबसाइट: www.samskritpromotion.in
फोन नंबर: 011-23632323

वैकेंसी पोजीशन

रिसर्च फेलो: 15 पद
एलिजिबिलटी: शास्त्री/आचार्य से बीए/एमए (संस्कृत)
पे स्केल: 30000 रुपये

सीनियर रिसर्च फेलो (कैटेगरी-1): 12 पद
पे स्केल: 35000 रुपये

सीनियर रिसर्च फेलो (कैटेगरी-2): 27 पद
पे स्केल: 40000 रुपये
एलिजिबिलटी: आचार्य (संस्कृत)/ एमए + रिटन/स्पोकन संस्कृत की नॉलेज।

ऐसे करें अप्लाई: वेबसाइट पर जाकर ऑनलाइन अप्लाई करें। ऑनलाइन अप्लीकेशन के बाद फॉर्म का प्रिंट निकाल लें। जरूरी डॉक्यूमेंट्स अटैच कर, संस्कृत/सम्सकृत प्रमोशन फाउंडेशन, 11204/5, वेदभवनम, गौशाला मार्ग, दोरीवलन, दिल्ली-110006 के पते पर भेज दें। इच्छुक कैंडिडेट्स info@samskritpromotion.in या samskritpromotion@gmail.com पर मेल भी कर सकते हैं।

संस्कृत हमारे जीवन में समाहित है

संस्कृत कम्प्यूटर की भाषा है और हम सबके जीवन में समाहित है। वैज्ञानिकों ने पाया है कि कम्प्यूटर प्रोसेसिंग के बाईनरी सिस्टम के लिये संस्कृत सर्वाधिक उपयोगी भाषा है । संस्कृतज्ञों को संस्कृत-भाषा के प्रचार प्रसार एवं लोकप्रिय बनाने के लिये स्वयं प्रयास करने होंगे। ये विचार दिल्ली संस्कृत अकादमी की ओर से दिल्ली सचिवालय में 'संस्कृत दिवस समारोह' के मुख्य अतिथि उपमुख्यमंत्री मनीष सिसौदिया ने व्यक्त किये। सिसौदिया ने कहा कि संस्कृत की आवश्यकता हमें जन्म से लेकर मरण तक है। शायद ही कोई घर ऐसा हो जहां संस्कृत के मंत्रों का उच्चारण न होता हो।

समारोह में कला, संस्कृति एवं भाषा मंत्री कपिल मिश्रा ने कहा कि संस्कृत संसार की प्राचीनतम भाषा है। भारत की समस्त प्रान्तीय भाषाओं में संस्कृत शब्दों का ही बाहुल्य है। जब कभी भी व्यक्ति कमजोर होता है तो संस्कृत के मंत्रों से ताकत आती है। हमें इजराइल से सीख लेनी चाहिये उन्होंने अपनी बिलकुल समाप्त हो चुकी भाषा को पुनः जीवित किया। मैं व्यक्तिगत रूप से इजराइल के विशेषज्ञों के सम्पर्क में हूं और उनसे यह जानने का प्रयास कर रहा कि उन्होंने कैसे अपनी भाषा को पुनजीर्वित किया।

इस अवसर पर अकादमी के सचिव जीतराम भट्ट ने कहा कि प्राचीन परम्परा में रक्षाबन्धन के दिन को 'उपाकर्म' दिन कहा जाता रहा है, इसीलिए इसको संस्कृत दिवस के रूप में मनाया जाता है। समारोह में संस्कृत के प्रचार-प्रसार में अपना योगदान देने वाले लगभग 250 संस्कृत एवं संगीत के शिक्षकों को सम्मानित भी किया गया।

‘Sanskrit high scoring, popular among students’

Many of the city's well-known schools across boards are serious about Sanskrit as there is a great demand for the language from parents and students. Not only do parents want their children to remain rooted to their tradition, Sanskrit is also a scoring subject in board examinations in comparison to other languages and help students in fetching good aggregate marks.

Even as the Centre asked CBSE schools to observe Sanskrit Week, many schools have planned activities till this month end. Many others however have given it a miss as the circular came at the eleventh hour.

Girija Singh, principal of Navy Children's School, said, "We do not celebrate it in an elaborate way, but we do it every year. We make children read shlokas every morning in this week which they usually read only once a week. Then we keep essay competitions in Sanskrit." She added that Sanskrit is a high-scoring subject and lots of students choose it over other languages and that is why they have made it their second language in the school. The school offers Sanskrit from Class VI.

Avnita Bir, principal of RN Podar School, said the school could not plan anything elaborate as the circular came very late. "But our school may plan a small thing in class in the coming week. There is a good demand from students. Earlier it attracted many students as it was a scoring subject, but now the reasons may not be the same as there was no mandatory board exam in Class X," said Bir.

At Apeejay School in Nerul, the authorities held a Sanskrit Shlok recitation competition this week and may plan more activities, which may not be according to the guidelines laid down by the board. On the contrary, Rekha Shahani, from an SSC school in the western suburbs, said, "We are not celebrating Sanskrit week in our school. Celebrating just for one week and then forgetting about it for the rest of the year doesn't really make sense. But that's not the only reason, actually, we do not offer Sanskrit in our school anymore because children opted out of it. Many of our country's important languages are dying and Sanskrit is one of them."

Officials said DD News has decided to shift the timing of its Sanskrit programme 'Vaartavali'

To mark the 'Sanskrit Diwas' celebrations today, public broadcaster Doordarshan News has launched an exclusive Facebook page and a Twitter handle in the that language.

Senior officials at the DD News said, the latest news and information would be shared with people in Sanskrit language through these social media accounts.

"On the occasion of Sanskrit Diwas, we have launched an exclusive Facebook page and a Twitter handle in Sanskrit language," ADG (News) Doordarshan Akshay Raut told PTI.

Officials also added that the DD News has also decided to shift the timing of its Sanskrit programme 'Vaartavali' from afternoon slot on Sundays to evening prime time on Saturdays.

With effect from September 9, 'Vaartavali' will be telecast at 7:30 pm on Saturdays and repeated at 3:30pm on Wednesday.

DD News had also prepared a special one-hour-long edition of the 'Vaartavali' programme to mark the 'Sanskrit Diwas', officials added.

In order to attract a niche audience and meet a long-standing demand from viewers, Doordarshan had earlier this year launched the half-an-hour news programme in Sanskrit on weekends.

DD News already had a five-minute Sanskrit news bulletin 'Varta', but officials had felt that five minutes was not adequate and a half-an-hour programme was thus conceived.

Sanskrit week begins in Mumbai’s CBSE schools today

'Sanskrit week' celebrations are back in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools.

Last year, the introduction of Sanskrit week had caught flak from many political parties, which felt it was wrong to impose a "particular language through schools". Schools will commemorate Sanskrit week between August 26 and September 1.

In a circular dated August 25, D T Sudharsan Rao, joint secretary stated that: "Sanskrit is one of the ancient languages of India and it is important to familiarize oneself with Sanskrit if one has to understand the growth of Indian civilization and culture. Schools affiliated to CBSE may celebrate Sanskrit week by conducting various child-centric activities." "The objective of celebrating Sanskrit week may be to provide a voluntary opportunity to students to share their knowledge of Sanskrit and learn it from each other. The celebration will increase awareness about the close relationship among Sanskrit and various other languages and the cultural heritage of India," the circular mentioned. Schools are expected to prepare a detailed report regarding the activities carried out and send it to their respective regional office by September 30.

Principals said they would conduct activities for students who have opted for Sanskrit as a subject.

"There is no harm in introducing students to these activities unless it interferes with the academic calendar. Since it is a last-minute circular, we might conduct some of the activities during the Sanskrit classes," said a principal. In 2014 when Sanskrit week was introduced in schools, there were objections from many quarters. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa had said that it would be "appropriate to conduct a Classical Language Week" in each state based on its linguistic heritage.

Oldest language fails to attract more youngsters

As World Sanskrit Day was being celebrated on Saturday, head of Sanskrit department of Ranchi University, Janki Devi rued that there were hardly any takers for the language and the department seats have never been filled to capacity.

Janki Devi said, "There are 72 seats in the department but we have only 30 students. Last year, the number of students was 38. The situation has been same for the last few years."

"If the government makes Sanskrit a compulsory subject in schools from primary classes, the interest of the students will automatically increase and more students will opt for the subject in future," she said.

Despite being a very scoring subject at school level, very few students prefer to study Sanskrit at college as the job opportunities after studying the subject is very low.

A student of PG Hindi department, Manju Sinha said, "I had an option of choosing either Hindi or Sanskrit in UG level but I preferred Hindi as there are very limited career options in Sanskrit. In fact the only thing you can do is get into the teaching profession if you study Sanskrit. Also, there is no opportunity of campus placement after studying Sanskrit."

On the other hand most of the students who study Sanskrit are those who prepare for competitive examinations. Anant Pandey, a student of Sanskrit PG said, "I am preparing for union public service commission examination. I opted for Sanskrit because I want it to be my main language paper in the UPSC exam as it is very scoring and very few aspirants opt for it. Similar is the case with many of my classmates."

However, Janki Devi claims that there are many career options available after getting a masters degree in Sanskrit.

"The toppers of the department are given a chance to work as assistant professors in the department itself and they even get many scholarships from various universities. This apart, one can become an astrologer after studying astrology. Those who are good in a subject will never sit idle," she said.

She added, "Another interesting thing is that as Sanskrit is considered the mother of all languages, after studying Sanskrit a student can pursue a course in any other language as it will be easy for them to understand and then they can work as a translator or interpreter."

Lawyers, judges make their point in SC, in Sanskrit

Prominent public interest litigant and septuagenarian advocate Lily Thomas on Friday invoked the Gita to request the Supreme Court to assume the role of 'Krishna' to deal with the injustice being meted out to Christians through attacks on churches in various parts of the country including the rape of a nun.

Thomas, who has filed many PILs and got favourable judgments from the apex court, recited in Sanskrit the most famous lines of Gita where Krishna tells Arjun that he would reincarnate every time injustice overwhelms justice on earth to protect the good and destroy evil.

Egging on a bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justices M Y Eqbal and Arun Mishra to take suo motu cognizance of recent attacks on churches and atrocities on Christians, she said the court could no longer allow the law and order situation to deteriorate further and scare the minority community.

She said the Supreme Court's motto 'Victory to the Righteous' meant that righteous people would have to wait a long time to get justice. "This motto should take the back seat and the Supreme Court should adopt Krishna's role to provide speedy justice to Christians. Please take suo motu cognizance of the incidents happening in many places in India," she said.

The CJI said, "If you want the court to take action, please file a petition. The court will surely take action in sensitive matters affecting society. It will not be proper for the court to take suo motu cognizance of this issue. Once you file the petition, I assure you of an urgent hearing."

Thomas did not want her request to appear as a plea for protection of the minority community. She wanted the court to provide adequate protection to women and religious institutions. She told TOI that she would be filing a PIL on this issue on Saturday and ask for an urgent hearing for next week.

Hardly had the court recovered from the recitation of verses by Thomas, another PIL by advocate M K Balakrishnan pleaded for a direction to the Centre for making Bhagvat Gita a national text and for inclusion of important chapters in the educational curriculum.

Balakrishnan recited several lines from the Gita and said inclusion of excerpts in educational curriculum would help impart a value system in society.

The CJI, who is well versed with Gita, was overwhelmed. He said, "How come we are hearing a lot of Sanskrit verses right from the start of work today?"

However, he was quick to point out that there were several religious texts in India. He said, "Christians, Muslims and every other religious denomination has a religious text. Each one is important to those who follow that faith. How can the court say which is better?"

While dismissing Balakrishnan's petition, the CJI quoted Gita to say "Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana" and told the advocate that he need not be disappointed by the result as he had done his work.

Sanskrit-only TV channel, first in country, on the anvil

Plans are afoot to launch a dedicated Sanskrit TV channel, presumably the first ever in the country, by the Haridwar-based Uttarakhand Sanskrit Academy, a body under the jurisdiction of the state government. According to academy officials, a green signal in this regard has been given by chief minister Harish Rawat, who serves as the chairman of the academy. The channel is expected to air a host of programmes based on Sanskrit literature, besides news in Sanskrit.

A detailed plan on how the channel will be set up and other aspects of its functioning is expected to be discussed at a meeting at the state secretariat on Tuesday. Over one hundred Sanskrit scholars as well as vice-chancellors of universities and principals of colleges are expected to attend the meeting, Sri Krishna Semwal, vice chairman of the Sanskrit Academy told TOI on Monday.

Academy secretary Suresh Charan Bahuguna said a proposal for the launch of the channel was sent to the government last year along with a batch of other proposals for the year 2014-15. The Sanskrit Academy was directed to prepare a detailed project report for the channel. Keeping in view the scale of what was planned, the academy sought guidance from other departments of the state government. "The first meeting in this connection, presided over by the additional secretary, was held in the academy on July 4 and the second is being held today," Bahuguna said. He added that a clearer picture on the launch of the channel and other details would emerge only after the project report is submitted.

Harish Gururani, research officer at Sanskrit Academy, pointed out that there are about 800 TV channels in the country. "There are channels beaming Urdu-only and Bhojpuri-only content, but there was not one channel airing Sanskrit programmes. That is why we felt the need to start one. Once a Sanskrit channel starts functioning, Sanskrit will have its lost glory restored and will be popularized all over the world," he said.

Sri Krishna Semwal added that Uttarakhand was aptly suited to have a Sanskrit language TV channel. "The state has accorded Sanskrit the status of the second official language. There is also an independent Sanskrit department in the government. The launch of a channel will come as an added boost to this classical language," he said.


The idea of taxpayer money being spent on setting up a TV channel in a language that hardly anybody speaks is quite absurd. As the mother language of several Indian languages, Sanskrit has a historical importance not unlike that of Latin in Europe. That is good reason to fund academic studies of the language and its texts. However, it is a bad reason for setting up a TV channel. The fact that some brownie points may be won among niche vote banks is no reason to waste public funds.

Sanskrit summer camp attracts 60 intellectuals in China

A general view shows the settlements of Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sertar County of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

A group of 60 Chinese intellectuals have enrolled at a Buddhist Institute for a free summer camp to study Sanskrit to understand the religious and yoga texts better as the ancient Indian language is becoming popular among the new generation of Chinese in the Communist nation.

The trainees were selected from more than 300 candidates and cover a broad sphere of professions, including yoga instructors, mechanical designers, performers, hotel management and environmental protection personnel.

Their study at the Hangzhou Buddhism Institute in eastern China over the next six days will focus on reading and writing Sanskrit.


"The language has very complicated grammar. For the present tense alone, the inflection of one verb can have 72 alterations," Li Wei, an instructor who holds a doctorate in Indology from the University of Mainz, Germany, said.

Sanskrit has gained prominence in China since Buddhist texts were brought by famous monks like famous Chinese Monk Xuan Zang after 17 year long journey to India in sixth century.



Since the several Chinese monks made their way to India, brought a number of religious and texts about ancient Indian medicine.

The Peking University has a separate department for Sanskrit where over 60 study the language. Renowned Indologist Ji Xianlin has been awarded Padma Shri for his contribution.

There is renewed interest in Sanskrit ever since yoga has become popular in recent years specially after UN designated June 21 as international yoga day. Many of the trainees in Hangzhou class have been required to work overtime beforehand to get the six days off, some used their annual vacation while others working night-shifts to save the day for study, state- run Xinhua news agency reported.

Trainee He Min, who graduated with an economics degree from Renmin University of China in Beijing and now works as a yoga practitioner in Hangzhou, says the chance was "too precious" to pass up.



"Sanskrit is a common language used by yoga practitioners across the world. Though many yoga textbooks are written in English, the postures we practice remain named in Sanskrit and the chants are also in Sanskrit," the 39-year-old said.

Teaching herself Sanskrit for almost three years, she said she was "still a rookie" due to the lack of professional instruction.
Chinese schools began Sanskrit classes in the late 1940s. But the discipline has developed slowly due to the lack of proper textbooks and a teacher shortage.

梵文夏令营吸引了60知识分子在中国

一般的视图显示洛若乡佛学院在甘孜藏族自治州色达县定居点

A组60名中国知识分子都就读于一个佛学院一个免费的夏令营学习梵文，了解宗教和瑜伽文本更好地为古印度语是在共产主义国家成为深受中国新一代的。

学员是从300多名候选人中选择，涵盖的行业，包括瑜伽教练，机械设计师，表演者，酒店管理和环保人员的广泛领域。

他们在杭州佛学院在未来六年天的研究在中国东部地区将重点读，写梵文。

“这种语言具有非常复杂的语法，对于单独存在时，人们动词的活用可以有72改变，”骊威，教师谁持有美因茨，德国的大学在印度学博士学位，说。

梵文颇具知名度在中国，因为佛教典籍中历经17年之久的旅程，印度在公元六世纪带来的著名高僧像中国著名高僧玄奘。

由于一些中国僧人作出自己的方式向印度，带来了一些关于古印度医学的宗教和文本。

北京大学拥有的梵文一个单独的部门，其中超过60个学习的语言。著名Indologist季羡林被授予莲花士勋章为他的贡献。

有梵文新的兴趣，自从瑜伽还特意后联合国指定的6月21日为国际瑜伽一天成为近年来流行。许多在杭州班的学员被要求先加班，以获得6天休息，有的用自己的年假，而其他工作夜班的一天保存研究，语句运行新华社报道。

见习何敏，谁毕业于中国北京人民大学的经济学学位，现在作为在杭州瑜伽练习者，说的机会是“太珍贵”错过。

“梵语是由世界各地的瑜伽练习者的共同语言。虽然许多瑜伽教材都用英文写的，我们的做法在梵文属于一个名为姿势和圣歌也梵文，”这位39岁的老人说。

教学梵文自己近三年来，她说她是“还是个新人”，由于缺乏专业的指导。

中国学校开始梵文班在20世纪40年代后期。但学科发展缓慢，由于缺乏适当的教材和师资短缺。

Sanskrit most useful for science, technology, Rajnath Singh says

Advocating the promotion of Sanskrit, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said even foreign scholars have considered it to be one of the most scientific of languages.

"There is no other language which provides answers to complex philosophical questions like epics written in Sanskrit. Be it art, literature, science or technology, people are admitting Sanskrit is most useful," Singh said addressing the launch of a "Mahaabhiyan" to take Sanskrit to every house which is being led by an educational institution here.

He said that even Nasa, while building a super computer, had said that Sanskrit was the most suitable language for it.


"But the irony is that we are getting away from it in India," he said.

Singh said that Sanskrit does not have a problem of spelling like other languages, such as English, and was pronounced in a similar manner everywhere. Unlike other languages, where pronunciation varies from region to region, Sanskrit does not have this problem as it is based on sound science, he added.

"Even youths in the US and UK are reading Sanskrit," he said.

Singh said that as during his stint as the education minister in Uttar Pradesh government, he had introduced two chapters on Vedic mathematics in the school curriculum which, however, were later removed by the subsequent governments.

He said that if there was the will, knowledge of Sanskrit could be taken to each and every house.

Sanskrit is at home in these Mumbai households

 Sanskrit is mentioned as the mother tongue in the school admission form of six-year-old Maitri.

All that the Katiras have to do is speak. Instantly, auto drivers grow nostalgic, elders fall at their feet and relatives start asking deep questions. "We sometimes feel like animals in the zoo," says Mitesh Katira, whose home is one of the few Gujarati households in Mulund that has long replaced 'Kem Cho' with 'Katham Asthi'. For almost 10 years now, the Katiras have been speaking Sanskrit at home and often startle their Marathi maid by asking for 'soopam' (dal) and 'jalam' (water).

In fact, Sanskrit is mentioned as the mother tongue in the school admission form of six-year-old Maitri, who is currently trying to convince her father that a tube light is called 'vidyutdeepaha' and not 'dandadeepaha'. Despite all this, the Katiras feel unworthy of our camera. "Are the Germans applauded for speaking German or the Japanese for speaking Japanese?" asks Mitesh. "Why are Indians singled out for knowing an Indian language?" asks the chartered accountant, who knows the answer but doesn't like it.

Even as German universities lap up desi Sanskrit teachers and the Thai princess wows with her Sanskrit prowess, the Vedic language stands crippled in its homeland. "It is seen as a divine language that cannot be used for business though it is easy to learn," says Ujjwala Pawar, Sanskrit writer, about the language that is on the verge of getting its own joint secretary. Beyond written verses, chants and the Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit almost ceases to breathe in public conscience. Which is why it is largely confined to sacred occasions -- poojas, weddings, funerals and the board exams.

Needless to say, exchanging jokes in Sanskrit or calling the cellphone a 'Bhramanbhasha' is bound to make you a spectacle. However, 30-odd families in Mumbai have made peace with the attention. Many of them are part of a non-profit called Sanskrit Bharati, which believes speaking in Sanskrit is the only way to postpone its demise.

"If you learn it like a child, by observing and listening, it is easy to pick up," says Mitesh Katira, who learned it after attending a 10-day teacher's training course in 1998 which was conducted in Sanskrit. Not only does he now think in Sanskrit, "I have also started dreaming in Sanskrit," laughs Katira. This is probably why when his wife Archana was pregnant seven years ago, the family created a vision chart in the language for their child. It now hangs on their bedroom wall superimposed with pictures of Maitri who hands her mother a copy of the book of logic 'Tarkasangraha' and rattles off the qualities of elements in nature. Earth has the property of fragrance, she says, and fire contains heat. "This is a subject that sometimes even first-year arts students fail in," says Archana, who also credits her daughter's Sanskrit diction for sparing her English phonetics lessons, now a norm with hands-on mothers.

In the 2001 Census, around 14,000 Indians identified Sanskrit as their mother tongue. Also, according to Sanskrit Bhasha Sansthan, there are five villages that speak in Sanskrit. Yet, "people ask me what is the use of learning a dead language," says Bhavna Bamania. "It isn't dead, just rare," says Bamania, who clearly doesn't enjoy the awe that a conversation with her 10-year-old son in Sanskrit invites. "They look at you as if you are from another planet," says Bamania, who teaches at a weekly class called Bala Kendram, where kids sometimes stump her by asking for translations of "paper clip".

However, Sanskrit, re-iterate these families, can be elastic and modern. "We can make words from its roots," says Panvel-based Sitaram Sharma, who uses 'pinjaha' (switch) and 'sheetpetika' (fridge) while conversing with his four-year-old daughter Lalitha. Sharma has downloaded apps filled with shlokas, which Lalitha has committed to memory. "People don't realise that like every language, Sanskrit has two versions, literary and colloquial," says Sharma, a Sanskrit professor. In fact, it was Sanskrit that made it easier for this Telugu man and his wife, who moved to Mumbai six years ago, to understand Marathi. "Since Sanskrit words form almost 60% of several Indian languages, we more or less understand other languages," adds Sharma.

While the ministry's move to appoint a joint secretary for Sanskrit has met with mixed reactions, these homes welcome it. "Every language is being promoted by a state government, but it is our responsibility to nurture Sanskrit," says Sharma while 28-year-old Sumit Shah from Mulund feels it should be made mandatory in schools. "It is a universal language so it leads to better bonding," says Shah, who runs a chemical firm, adding that Sanskrit provides access to 5,000 years of technical and spiritual literature.

Sanskrit has triggered curiosity about Indian history too. While Bamania was happy to discover doctors such as Sushruta, chartered accountant Mitesh Katira was curious about how India kept accounts in the 17th century. The language has also reshaped Katira's world view. Once when the IT department raided a jeweller who would give loans against jewellery, the officials decided to tax him for the entire bounty though it didn't belong to him. Katira explained the decision is unfair to the official by citing a verse that roughly translates to: "What appears isn't always there and what doesn't, sometimes exists". This also comes in handy when, when strangers fall at his feet at his classes assuming he knows a lot simply because he speaks Sanskrit. "They make you feel like Baba Ramdev," he says.

'shampoo' itself has been derived from the Sanskrit word champu

Shampooing is an Indian concept





Shampoo was invented in India, not the commercial liquid ones but the method by use of herbs.The word 'shampoo' itself has been derived from the Sanskrit word champu, which means to massage.