Pakistani university introduces Sanskrit course for first time since Partition; Mahabharat, Gita also on the cards
“People ask me why I am learning Sanskrit. I tell them, why shouldn’t we learn it? It is the binding language of the entire region. Sanskrit grammarian Panini had his village in this region. A lot of writings were written here during the Indus Valley Civilization. Sanskrit is like a mountain; a cultural monument. We need to take care of it. It is ours too; it is not affiliated with any religion,” said associate professor Shahid Rasheed, quoted by the Tribune, saying who is at the heart of the initiative.
“An important collection of Sanskrit palm leaf manuscripts was cataloged by scholar JCR Woolner in the 1930s, but no Pakistani academic has dealt with this collection since 1947. Only foreign researchers are using it. Training scholars locally will change this,” the news outlet quoted Gurmani Center director Ali Usman Qasmi as saying.
“Within 10-15 years, we could see Gita and Mahabharata scholars based in Pakistan,” Qasmi added.
The Sanskrit course started as a three-month weekend workshop but eventually expanded into a four-credit college course after receiving a great response.
“After seeing the response, we decided to offer this as a viable university course. Although the number of students is still small, we hope it will increase over the next few years. Ideally, we should be able to teach the language as a year-long course by spring 2027,” the principal said.
Commenting on the development, Congress leader Husain Dalwai said that Pakistan is linked to the history of India and therefore the country should welcome this decision. “Pakistan was formed by separation from India. So Pakistan is also linked to India’s history. Some good people are coming forward in Pakistan, which is a good thing and we should welcome it.” Dalwai told ANI.
(With inputs from TOI)
