<!--emo&:devil--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' /><!--endemo--> Cambridge closes door on Sanskrit even as it honours Manmohan
Rashmee Roshan Lall
[ 12 Oct, 2006 2112hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
LONDON: Cambridge has finally closed the door on Sanskrit as a hallowed subject of undergraduate study, nearly one-and-a-half centuries after it first established a chair in the 3,000-year-old language. The Times of India sought â and received - confirmation of the university's decision within hours of Cambridge honouring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with a doctor of law degree, in what some scholars believe to be the most cynical form of "tactless academic marketing".
On Thursday, Dr Gordon Johnson, Director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge confirmed that "Sanskrit and Hindi will no longer be offered to undergraduates within the Oriental Studies Tripos". But Johnson insisted that "South Asian Studies are thriving at the University of Cambridge and an agreed plan for their expansion is underway. Students continue to study specialist papers with a South Asian content in History, Geography, Economics, Social and Political Sciences, Social Anthropology, Divinity and Archaeology ".
Even so, Dr John Smith, reader in Sanskrit at Cambridge, told TOI that it is "not a trivial decision...this is a decision about letting the subject wither on the vine. It is an administrative decision but should actually have been an academic one".
Smith, who has taught Sanskrit to Cambridge undergraduates for 22 years said the decision was "tactless" in its timing and skewed in its objectives. "They are doing this at a point of time when they are honouring Manmohan Singh, soliciting benefactions from wealthy Indian businessmen and seeking students from South Asia," he said. He said he had no new undergraduate students seeking to learn Sanskrit in this academic year, which began a week ago.
Smith added with unconcealed anger at Cambridge and other Western universities' increasing propensity to run themselves as businesses that employ MBA-speak: "There are some subjects simply worth doing. This is a language that has been going 3,000 years and hasn't stopped yet. You cannot understand the culture of the Indian sub-continent and the world outside it without learning Sanskrit".
As expected of a Sanskrit scholar, Smith's fulminations are thought to be in line with the well-known Sanskrit proverb that enjoins one to think about the effect of disasters before they actually occur because it is not appropriate to start digging a well when the house is on fire.
The tradition of teaching Sanskrit in England â from undergraduate to higher level goes back to 1831, when the first chair in Sanskrit - the Boden - was set up at Oxford.
Smith, who counts amongst his predecessors such internationally-acclaimed Sanskrit scholars such as John Brough and Harold Bailey, said that when he retires and his Sanskrit-scholar colleague does as well, a dozen years from now, Cambridge may be left with no one to teach this liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism and Janinism. The effect on Sanskrit scholarship will be marked, he warned, because of the useful joint initiatives British Sanskrit scholars are able to work through with their counterparts in India.
1|2|Next >
That's good news. All old Sanskrit and oriental studies departments are racist organizations created to destroy Vedic culture. These departments should be recreated by Hindus or atleast objective people.
10-13-2006, 02:42 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-13-2006, 11:15 AM by acharya.)
<!--QuoteBegin-"Paul"+-->QUOTE("Paul")<!--QuoteEBegin-->They probably don't have funds to carry out more psy ops activities. Not a bad move from Indic civilization's POV.
The rejuvenation of Indic languages and thought has to come from within India, not from from fatcat chairs in western universities. These chairs are occupied for the most part by Jholwalas or their gora masters...may this trend spread far and wide to other schools as well.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The study learning center of the Indic cultures and langauge is part of the colonization process built during early 1800s. They have infilterated the minds of millions of Indians in the last 300 years and created new generation of socially engineered Indians (called the westernized Indians) in the last 100-200 years. See the movie 'THE ISLAND(2005)'
They have already transfered that process inside India and they do not need these centers inside UK and Cambridge anymore. These are now funded by the Indian govt itself.
You may be right Acharya...however I interpret as a general lack of funding and hence decline in England's abilities to keep India down.
In the future funds may come from the catholic church and the Commies in PRC. but still, if the battleground is in India that is good news. That means the west is losing it's grip on India as the primary target is the Indian audience.
Acharya is right, and re: funding, Paul is right too... IMHO
In the post colonial world, the relationship between Power/Knowledge production centers, and the erstwhile subalterns changed. Now what is needed from their (adharmics perspective) is the ideological regulation of ex-colonial subjects, and subordination through the manufacture of consent by foisting "collective identities" etc etc. IOW, nothing has changed, the handoff process has come out in the open. <!--emo&:omg--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/omg.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='omg.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hindus that live in the UK / USA need to slowly infiltrate these departments. Hindus can get these jobs and slowly make changes, and after 10-20 years, these departments will basically become objective again.
Once all the bias against Hinduism is removed from Western media/ books etc, the so called educated "elite" in India will follow. They see the White man's opinion as god's word, and so for change to happen in India, the White god must speak.
<!--QuoteBegin-k.ram+Oct 13 2006, 06:00 AM-->QUOTE(k.ram @ Oct 13 2006, 06:00 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Acharya is right, and re: funding, Paul is right too... IMHO
In the post colonial world, the relationship between Power/Knowledge production centers, and the erstwhile subalterns changed. Now what is needed from their (adharmics perspective) is the ideological regulation of ex-colonial subjects, and subordination through the manufacture of consent by foisting "collective identities" etc etc. IOW, nothing has changed, the handoff process has come out in the open. <!--emo&:omg--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/omg.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='omg.gif' /><!--endemo-->
[right][snapback]59015[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Death threat to Sanskrit university VC's daughter from Islamic terrorists.</b>
10/12/2006 4:20:05 PMÂ HK
Kochi: Kaladi Sanskrit University Vice-chancellor Dr.K.S.Radhakrishnanâs daughter received a threatening from Islamic terrorists mentioning they will kill her within a month.
The death threat to VCâs daughter is based on an issue regarding a complaint of a Muslim student P.S.Shapna.The student had lodged a complaint to syndicate members against VC alleging that he harassed her. The enquiry committees report revealed that her complaint was baseless and ill motivated by Islamic terrorists.
VC had handed over the copy of threatening letter to Governor, Chief Minister,Home Minister and DGP.
In order to appease minorities Govt. had started Arabic courses under Sanskrit University, which led to sudden increase of Islamic fundamentalist in the previously peaceful campus. The NDFâs students terrorist wing Campus Front is causing unnecessary issues and troubles in the campus recently.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't understand why Arabic is even included. Arabic is foreign language.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/article...788,curpg-1.cms
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->End of orientalism
It is curtains for Sanskrit and Hindi at Cambridge University, 150 years after the languages were introduced as courses for graduate studies. University authorities have taken the decision because there are few takers to study the two languages even as interest in India has grown manifold.
Sanskrit and Hindi represent an India that is on the wane whereas the India currently in vogue is one of trade and commerce. The wheel has come full circle. The imperial project took to learning Sanskrit as a means to understand and access a country and civilisation.
In course of time, the project moved beyond its utilitarian intentions to acquire the attributes of enlightened learning and scholarship. Universities in those times, in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, encouraged such inquiries for knowledge.
The character of the university has now changed. John Smith, who taught Sanskrit at Cambridge for over two decades, accuses universities of increasingly becoming businesses that employ MBA-speak. It is true that the bottomline has become as important as academic excellence for universities in the West.
Knowledge has to be justified in its utility. The New India the world seeks to engage with is not the old Orient. It isn't Panini or Kalidasa, but Ambanis and Azim Premji who currently interest the West. This change is nothing to moan about, even if it could have a bearing on Oriental studies.
We should see an opportunity in the decline of Oriental studies in the West. There is no reason why Indian universities can't emerge as centres of excellence in Indic studies including the learning of Sanskrit. The best scholars and researchers should be encouraged to make India their base.
Let the scholar tourist become the resident scholar. It is better to learn Sanskrit or access manuscripts in Varanasi and Thanjavur than in Heidelberg or Oxford. This is possible if our universities evolve to engage with traditional forms and modes of learning.
The present incompatibility that exists between a university department and a traditional gurukul has to be addressed. This is possible if universities cease to be government departments and become true centres of learning.
It is impossible for a great musician or a scholar to be part of a university if she does not possess the stipulated degrees. Such red tape kills learning. The idea is not to museumise or exoticise traditional disciplines but to transform them into living scholarship.
Our heritage is too precious to be left in the hands of the state or of groups that selectively highlight parts of that past. Universities are best equipped to be links between the past and the present. They would be served well if the private sector pitches in with funds
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->End of orientalism<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The title should be "outsourcing orientalism".
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Muslim girl tops in Sanskrit language exam</b>
2006-10-25 Published by Hindunet Gathered by Internet Desk - Hindunet
NAVAIKULAM: At a time when inspiring lyrics like Vande Mataram are branded communal, <b>a Muslim girl who opted for Sanskrit has topped the Kerala University MA (Sanskrit) exam in 2006</b>.
Shajeena S notched up 79 per cent and is the first Muslim topper in the universityâs history. The 24-year-old is the second of three daughters of Shahul Hamid, a poor labourer from Navaikulam. She took up Sanskrit three years ago. âShe is a very bright and sincere student,â says Shajeenaâs teacher R Nirmala. Did Shajeena confront any resistance from community leaders or from her parents? âNot really,â she says, adding, âmy parents agreed when I told them I want to learn Sanskrit. When I topped the university exam, my ustad in the community asked for sweets.â
T<b>hough some people ask her why she didnât take up Arabic for higher studies, she tells them that Sanskrit is the most apt language for Indians since most Indian languages are offshoots of Sanskrit. âBesides, it also offers better job opportunities,â </b>she says. Shajeena recites Sanskrit shlokas at home. âNobody at home understands them though,â she smiles. âBut they say they sound melodious when intoned in a low pitch. The Sanskrit language is poetic. There is rhythm in every syllable.â She dreams of launching a Sanskrit publication, which can help Sanskrit lovers in India give vent to their creativity. She swears that she will teach her children this rich language. âItâs a shame this beautiful language is reduced to a Cinderella in her own land,â she says.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Is it necessary to know Sanskrit for learning Vedic Mathematics?
No. There are several books in english on Vedic Mathematics.
Ashok/PC Guilera,
I have copy of Vedic Mathematics by Jadgadguru Swami Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji Maharaja. It's in English, but without adequate knowledge of Sanskrit, it's not easy to make that transformation.
Viren,
You are right that the original book by Jadgadguru Swami Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji lists the sutras only in sanskrit form.
But many newer books use the sutras in a translated form. Check this tutorial :
http://www.vedicmaths.org/Introduction/T...torial.asp
Many books are listed at:
http://www.vedicmaths.org/Bookstore/Book...mepage.asp
http://www.vedicmaths.org/Free%20Resourc.../books.asp
Vali Nasser's kid-proof book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/141...edicmathemat-20
Vedic Mathematics is gaining popularity as a speed-mathematics or mental-mathematics method for children who are afraid of mathematics.
Thx Ashok. Will be passing it to a few kids around.
Meanwhile, Ancient Sanskrit manuscript goes digital
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Restorers from New York's Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) are working on Sarvamoola Grantha which expounds on the essence of Hindu philosophy, the meaning of life and the role of God.
This priceless collection of 36 erudite commentaries was written in Sanskrit by Sri Madvacharya (1238-1317 AD), one of India's greatest theologians.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Himachal Pradesh to popularise Sanskrit<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), Nov 19: <b>Himachal Pradesh will promote Sanskrit and explore possibilities to computerise the language to modernise the learning process, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said here Sunday</b>.
The state has many educational institutions - government and private - teaching Sanskrit while the Central Government Sanskrit Vidyapeeth is coming up in the Pragpur area of Kangra district, he told the students and teachers of the Government Sanskrit College in Sundernagar, Mandi, at their annual day function.
<b>Singh said that old manuscripts found in the state were in Sanskrit, necessitating knowledge of the ancient Indian language dating back 5,000 years.</b>
He also stressed the need to encourage students to learn Sanskrit besides other languages for an update on their linguistic heritage.
The language has its own grammar and exhaustive research on various aspects of Sanskrit was in progress, Singh added. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Excellent news. Atleast one state is taking initiative.
Sanskrit needs Government patronage for its growth: Shankaramurthy
Special Correspondent
The Minister denounces efforts by some to denigrate the language
# `Winds are changing in favour of Sanskrit'
# Revision of Sanskrit textbooks urged
SHIMOGA: Minister for Higher Education D.H. Shankaramurthy denounced here on Saturday attempts by some to denigrate Sanskrit by calling it a dead language, and said the language was alive and was responsive to the hopes and aspirations of the people.
Inaugurating a State-level Sanskrit teachers' conference and "Sanskritotsava" organised jointly by the Karnataka Rajya Sanskrit Pathashala Shikshakara Sangh and Vipra Trust at Sri Gayatri Mangalya Mandir, Mr. Shankaramurthy said the knowledge of Sanskrit gave one the power to perform "miracles" too.
Performing miracles
He said it was believed that if the `Rudra Homam' was performed in Sanskrit with clear pronunciation, one would experience electric waves entering the body and the mind. "The same experience is believed to happen if the `Omkara' word is repeated with deep concentration. Such is the power of reciting hymns in Sanskrit," he said.
Mr. Shankaramurthy said that foreign rulers who had enslaved the country had not only harmed it politically but had also destroyed the country's cultural treasures. The destruction of the Nalanda University library was one example, he said, and the damage to Sanskrit was another as it was these rulers who had called it a dead language.
<b>
"But what was lost in India was picked up by the Germans, who conducted research and gained proficiency in it (Sanskrit)," he said.
He said it was unfortunate that some of our own people were trying to make Sanskrit inaccessible to students.
</b>
"But it is heartening to note that the winds are changing in favour of Sanskrit, and the lock that was put on this treasure has been removed," he said. Sanskrit, like the arts and culture, needed the Government's patronage for its growth, he added.
Status of language
Mr. Shankaramurthy said it was unfortunate that the previous Government had included Sanskrit in the list of minority languages. But the present Government appreciated the importance of the language and was trying to restore it to its former glory. The Government would not be found wanting in developing and promoting Sanskrit at all levels, he added.
He said he would urge the Government to address the genuine problems of Sanskrit teachers.
President of the Karnataka State Sanskrit Teachers' Association Chandrasekhariah called for an enhancement in the honorarium being given to Sanskrit teachers at the pathashalas.
Mr. Chandrasekhariah also said Sanskrit textbooks had not been revised for 36 years, and this should be taken up immediately.
President of the Shimoga District Sanskrit Teachers' Association Renukaradhya welcomed the gathering. Mallikarjun Murugharajendra Swamiji of the Bekkinakal Math presided over the function.
<!--QuoteBegin-Ashok Kumar+Nov 14 2006, 07:27 PM-->QUOTE(Ashok Kumar @ Nov 14 2006, 07:27 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Viren,
You are right that the original book by Jadgadguru Swami Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji lists the sutras only in sanskrit form.
But many newer books use the sutras in a translated form. Check this tutorial :
http://www.vedicmaths.org/Introduction/T...torial.asp
Many books are listed at:
http://www.vedicmaths.org/Bookstore/Book...mepage.asp
http://www.vedicmaths.org/Free%20Resourc.../books.asp
Vali Nasser's kid-proof book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/141...edicmathemat-20
Vedic Mathematics is gaining popularity as a speed-mathematics or mental-mathematics method for children who are afraid of mathematics.
[right][snapback]60798[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
When I read the book by Jagadguru the preface mentioned that Swamiji had lot more vedic mathematical sutras but those works got destroyed somehow. Is there any effort to reconstruct those sutr? (In other words what was published was a very small section).
-Digvijay
|
