Pakistan brings back Sanskrit, likely to have Gita, Mahabharata scholars by…, initiative will help to…

When language debates have become a common issue in some countries, Pakistan’s decision to introduce Sanskrit has come as a soft surprise. According to the reports, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has come up with a special course based on credits. The four-credit course is based on the Sanskrit language. The classical initiative may help in the revival of the Sanskrit language across the country. The continuous efforts of the Associate Professor of Sociology at Forman Christian College, Dr Shahid Rasheed, are paying off, as he has dedicatedly studied the language for years.

What did Dr Shahin Rasheed say?

The Associate Professor of Sociology at Forman Christian College, Dr Shahin Rasheed, told the Tribune that he began his language learning venture with Arabic and Persian and later Sanskrit. He added that it took him one year to learn Sanskrit, which he’s still doing.

Dr Shahin highlighted the importance of the binding language to the English daily. He mentioned that the Sanskrit grammarian Panini’s village was in the region. He added, “Much writing was done here during the Indus Valley Civilisation. Sanskrit is like a mountain – a cultural monument. We need to own it. It is ours too; it’s not tied to any one particular religion.”

He highlighted that a good start for South Asia can emerge if a greater majority of Hindus and Sikhs began to learn Arabic, and a great number of Pakistani Muslims learned Sanskrit.

Introduction of Sanskrit at LUMS

The Director of the Gurmani Centre at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) told the Tribune that the country of Pakistan has a wide and rich collection of the classical language collections, which are unexplored. He added that in the upcoming years, it’s most likely that country may have its own scholars of classics like the Gita and Mahabharata.

The Sanskrit programme introduced at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) will introduce the university students to the rich literature of the language. It will also include the Urdu translation of Mahabharata’s theme song, “Hai Katha Sangram Ki”.