[nukkad] Sanskrit struggles to survive

[evil kid <>]

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This article appeared in BBC today.  Any comments?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2173400.stm
===================================================
One of the oldest languages in the world, Sanskrit, is
now in danger of becoming extinct in India, the
country of its origin. 

Sanskrit was the language of the elite in ancient
India, but it no longer enjoys the exalted status it
once had. 

Most Indian languages still use the basic grammar of
Sanskrit. 

But no more than a few thousand people in a country of
more than one billion can claim to read, write and
speak fluent Sanskrit. 

Poor job prospects 
=================

In Bombay's Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, one of the city's
oldest and biggest education institutions. students
recite Sanskrit shlokas. 


Only 150 students come here to learn this ancient
language - a very small number if you compare it with
the tens of thousands of students who go out every day
to the city's schools and colleges. 

So why are so few students coming to learn Sanskrit? 

The school's principal, Narendra Kumar Singh says
there are very few jobs for anyone studying Sanskrit. 
 
 
"At most, they can become a teacher in Sanskrit
schools, Sanskrit colleges so their salaries are also
very meagre." 

"The other opportunity for them is to perform
[religious] rituals for some rich people," he added. 

Lacking relevance? 
===================
The other reason why Sanskrit is losing out is because
it was never really the language of the masses. 

It was the language of the elite used for
correspondence amongst royalty and for composing
classic prose and poetry. 

There are some who opt for Sanskrit because it is
regarded as a subject in which one can get high grades
and can help improve one's overall grades. 

But most students learn the language to know about the
past. 

 
There is a school of thought which believes that
teaching and learning Sanskrit is a complete waste of
time and resources, especially as most Sanskrit
colleges are publicly funded. 

Critics of Sanskrit say government-funded colleges
should be preparing students for the real world and
offer only vocational and employment-oriented courses.


However, Sanskrit scholars like Girish Jani rubbish
this approach. 

"Why should we read Shakespeare? Why should we read
Sartre? Are they connected really with the life in the
first attempt? No. 

"We, at our own level, want to be refined, to be
cultured, to be a better person and this is here, we
need Sanskrit." 

Scholars like Mr Jani do have a point and there is
logic in their argument about Sanskrit being a
language of cultural refinement, 

But the sad reality is that Sanskrit is fighting a
losing battle in the country of its origin. 


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