SV: Did you hear this?

[Lars Martin Fosse]

Vidyasankar Sundaresan [SMTP:vsundaresan at HOTMAIL.COM] skrev 30. januar 2001
02:39:
> Only in India does anything to do with Sanskrit evoke a
> negative response in the hands of know-it-all commentators.

It is tempting to mention a parallel phenomenon. In he 70's, Norwegian
students rebelled against the obligatory course in Latin for students in
the Humanities (apart from budding doctors, who received a stripped down
course, we never burdened the "scientists" with such niceties). In spite of
the importance of Latin for the study of European languages and history
(just think of the sources in that language), our students decided that it
was a completely unnecessary burden and should be replaced by something
"relevant". They had their way. Today, not even doctors learn any Latin,
and are reportedly unable to communicate with foreign colleagues in the
usual professional jargon. I suspect that Sanskrit in India is regarded
much like Latin here: something dusty and irrelevant. And I also suspect
that an attempt to introduce it as an elective is likely to fail. Unless
special privileges are granted to people who know Sanskrit, in other words:
unless it pays off, I don't think the new initiative will cut much dice
among up-and-forward moving new technologists. They have better things to
do.

Lars Martin Fosse

Dr. art. Lars Martin Fosse
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