Jayalalithaa opposes Sanskrit week celebrations in schools, writes to PM

Chennai: Taking strong exception to Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) Sanskrit Week celebrations in schools under its ambit next month, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said it would be appropriate to have organised a 'Classical Language Week' in each state based on its linguistic heritage.

As per the communication sent by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), while the celebrations would be conducted by CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in all states between August 7th and 13th, state governments have also been requested to organise such events at the State, District and other levels.

"Tamil Nadu has a rich cultural heritage based on the ancient Tamil language. There has also been a strong social justice and language movement in the state. Hence, any official celebration of 'Sanskrit week' in Tamil Nadu is highly inappropriate," Ms Jayalalithaa said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"It would have been much more appropriate to have organised a Classical Language Week in each state based on the linguistic heritage" she said and requested Mr Modi to advise officials to suitably modify the directive to enable each state, including the CBSE schools, to organise celebrations in tune with the language and culture of the state.

"This would be in keeping with the cultural and linguistic sensitivities in a diverse country like ours", she said.

Allies of the BJP in Tamil Nadu - MDMK and PMK - had also spoken against the proposal last week.