Preserve Sanskrit to preserve ancient Indian knowledge systems

Princeton University Professor Manjul Bhargava, is the first mathematician of Indian-origin to win the Fields Medal, the highest badge of honour in mathematics. Despite having grown up in Canada and the US he is well-versed in Hindi and Sanskrit and is very attached to his Indian roots. This makes him a suitable candidate to be branded as communal. Bhargava is not the only communal mathematician that India has produced. There was Ramanujan who saw his solutions in a dream when the Goddess Nammakkal rolled out her tongue.

However after Manjul Bhargava won the Field Medal, there were a large number of articles & debates in the Indian media asking why we don’t produce more of such mathematicians. Well the answer is one word: Secularism.

When many so-called intellectuals in the media decide to oppose the celebration of “Sanskrit Week in Schools by Central Board of Secondary Education”, rest assured that there is lot more behind the obvious. Opposing teaching of Sanskrit helps to stop the progress of Indians and India.  Some of you will ask how teaching Sanskrit will lead to learning.

In an interview to India Today, Professor Manjul Bhargava said, “Growing up, I had a chance to read some of the works of the great masters: linguists/poets such as Panini, Pingala, and Hemachandra, as well as the great mathematicians Aryabhata, Bhaskara, and of course Brahmagupta.  Their works contain incredible discoveries in mathematics, and were very inspirational to me. The classic works of Pingala, Hemachandra, and Brahmagupta have been particularly influential in my own work.”

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