AKSHARAM & LIVING SANSKRIT in Bangalore, India

[s. kalyanaraman]

     This recent posting on India Discussion Digest may of interest. Happy 
     reading! S. Kalyanaraman.
     
     Date: Fri, 17 FEB 95 9:41:41 EST
     From: SHAMASS at ml.wpafb.af.mil (Shamasundar)
     Subject: Sanskrit is the "language of future"
      
     So said, Dr. Padiyar, a former successful internist, who ran a 
     thriving nursing home of his own till recently.  A scholar of sanskrit 
     and vedic mathematics,Dr.S.N. Padiyar, gave up his career in medicine 
     to join Aksharam, the Samskrita Vibhag of Hindu Seva Pratishtana, 
     (Sanskrit Division of Hindu Service Foundation) as a full time 
     voluntary worker.
      
     A THRILLING VISIT TO 'AKSHARAM'
     An urge to meet Dr. Padiyar made me to visit AKSHARAM, (**) a massive 
     complex in Bangalore which is the hub of Sanskrit activities.  It 
     houses a Research wing, Library, Adio-Visual lab, Staff 
     Quarters...From A to Z it is Sanskrit. I was astonished to see kids 
     (may be 5-6 years old) of the resident staffers not only speaking but 
     also playing in Sanskrit.  In some corner of a libray I remember to 
     have seen a picture of a Jewish Boy who spoke Hebrew after thousands 
     of years.  And it was considered the turning point for Jewish /
     Hebrew cultural/linguistic traditions.  By that token, the revolution 
     taking place at AKSHARAM is dramatic, eventful and magnificient.
      
     I spent 2 days in AKSHARAM and was greatly thrilled.  For a while I 
     felt as if I was Captain Picard of Space Ship Enterprise (the Star 
     Trek fame) on a time machnie which entered the time of Kalidasa and 
     Bhasa.
      
     The young instructors (SEVAVRATI as they are called) are a bundle of 
     energy. The scale of plannig seemed to me quite big. The preparations 
     are very carefully being planned and excecuted. For example Chandamama 
     ( the famous cartoon strip) now comes in Sanskrit, There is monthly 
     light reading mag Sandesh, the type of which is unheard of in 
     Sanskrit,  there are audio cassettes of nursary rimes and light 
     sanskrit songs, very large number of books and instructional materials 
     coming out almost every day.   They enact quick'street-plays' in a 
     corner of busy shopping center.. the theme of the play range of 
     political satire, and critic of contemporaty society....
      
     Currently, there is a massive 'Samskrita Abhiyana' going on in Kashi, 
     where thousands of teachers have taken up a mission to teach the 
     Sarala Samskrita to at least one hundred perons each.  The teachers 
     are geeting trained for this arduous task. I just had the opportunity 
     to wtiness the preparations for the teachers training camp. But, was 
     convinced the entire Abhiyana would be a great success.. did we hear 
     that phrase Total Quality!!!
     (** AKSHARAM, 8th Cross, II Phase, Girinagar, Bangalore-560085); Tel. 
     91-80-661-3052