World Sanskrit Day

“The ideas must be taught in the language of the people; at the same time, Sanskrit education must go on along with it, because the very sound of Sanskrit words gives prestige, power and strength to the race. Sanskrit and prestige go together in India.” - Swami Vivekananda

Sanskrit is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. One of the oldest and sacred languages of the world, it has deep importance since the historical texts and religious scriptures are found in this language. Indian Vedas and literature are written in the classical Sanskrit language.

World Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas is observed in the month of Shravan on the auspicious occasion of Poornima. It was first observed by the Government of India in 1969 and coincides with Raksha Bandhan.

The special occasion will be observed on 12 August this year. Students of classes 6-8 of The Indian School- Second Shift participated in various activities on 3 August 2022, to raise awareness about the richness and depth of this language.

Students of class 6 learnt to read and write names of human body parts, vegetables, birds and animals in Sanskrit. This activity gave the new learners of the language a new motivation to work on learning the language. They used these words widely in their speaking and writing activities in class.

Students of class 7 recited the famous Sanskrit verse, “Kalidaso Jane Jane” by Kalidasa. They translated the song into Hindi and English to better understand the meaning of the song. They also brainstormed with their teacher on the topic “Pragati Sheel Bharat” in Sanskrit.

To add shine to the celebration, the students of class 8 engaged in an activity titled, ‘Samay Lakhnam’ to help them read and write the time in Sanskrit. They also did ‘Shloka Lekhan’ in class, to learn new vocabulary.

These projects gave the Sanskrit students a new motivation to learn the language. These students were confident as they spoke and presented their work.