Hyderabad: Experts, while welcoming the decision to make Telugu mandatory for state students, fear that it could make Sanskrit disappear in Telugu states. Sanskrit is the base for any Indian language like Telugu or Hindi and it should be protected before it dies in the Telugu states, they feel.
Languages other than English, the bedrock of all academic subjects, are important to bring in cultural sensitivity and appreciation for diversity in children who ultimately will be global citizens.
Osmania University Sanskrit department head Prof S. Ramulu said, “Telugu is the mother tongue of people of TS and AP. Generally the mother language is compulsory up to Class 10 throughout India and in Intermediate it is not compulsory and students can select choose any one language among the six languages across the country.
But the Telangana government is trying to make Telugu language compulsory even in intermediate as well, despite about six lakh students having enrolled for Sanskrit language as second language.”
There were about 800 Sanskrit teachers in the state in Intermediate junior colleges.
Imposing Telugu on everyone even if they were interested in taking up Sanskrit was unfair, he said and felt that they would be better citizens if they studied Sanskrit which has ‘wonderful moral stories and lessons’. He said 20 per cent of IAS aspirants who take Sanskrit literature secure top posts.
Osmania University Vice-Chancellor S. Ramachandram said, “We have 43 students for MA Sanskrit in our university and every year 300 aspirants write the entrance for admission. We have requested the state government for a separate Sanskrit University in the state.”
There is scope even in Sanskrit like other languages in the country and many of the varsity’s Sanskrit students were placed in MNCs like Google in cities like Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru, he added.
Teachers boycott paper evaluation
The paper valuation for Intermediate examinations is yet to start and Sanskrit teachers are protesting and boycotting the valuation owing to lack of clarity about the language in the Intermediate courses.
With the implementation of Telugu as mandatory language, Sanskrit teachers believe that their language is ‘dying’. Under fear of job loss, they alleged that the government is ignoring Sanskrit and giving more importance to English and Telugu.
About 2,000 Sanskrit and Arabic teachers in the TS were boycotting evaluation which was to start on March 7. The teachers decided to continue the boycott till the government gave them an assurance that there was no ‘danger’ to jobs of Sanskrit, Arabic, Hindi and French teachers.
Kasturba Junior College, West Marredpally Sanskrit lecturer M.R. Rajender said, “Our protest is not only to protect the jobs but also to save and protect our Sanskrit language. We will boycott paper valuation till the government gives us an assurance of protecting Sanskrit and other important languages.’’
District intermediate education officer B. Jayaprada said, “Valuation of intermediate answersheets always begins with Sanskrit and was to start from March 7. This may delay the results.”
