> academics need to step out of the ivory tower and resist the government’s manipulation of this ancient language

Dear Ananya, 

Why should they step out and resist? Whatever the government's efforts, people aren't going to start speaking/writing Sanskrit.

Do you suspect that replacing some - yes, Islamic and Christian (Arabic/Persian and English) - parts of Modern Indian Languages vocabularies with their - yes, Hindu (Sanskrit) equivalents could create communal tension?

Look at European Languages and the role of Latin/Greek lexemes in their development, especially late XIXth century. In the case of my language (Polish) many German(ic) lexemes were being then systematically replaced with their Latin equivalents. And new Latin/Greek lexemes introduced - to describe, by one word, new philosophical, scientific, technological, political concepts. 

Yes, there were some people who tried to resist this trend and kind of re-introduce (largely artificially created) Old-Slavic lexemes. Yes - but their efforts were soon forgotten.

Regards, 

Artur Karp (ret.)
University of Warsaw
Poland

2016-09-15 14:27 GMT+02:00 Ananya Vajpeyi <vajpeyi@csds.in>:
Dear Colleagues,

The fall issue of World Policy Journal, titled "History's Ghosts", is just out. 

The issue published by Duke University Press journals, is now live online, and here is a direct link to my article in it, titled "The Return of Sanskrit". 

The Return of Sanskrit
How an Old Language Got Caught up in India’s New Culture Wars
 
Indian scholar Ananya Vajpeyi examines the way the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is using Sanskrit to advance a Hindu supremacist agenda. She argues that academics need to step out of the ivory tower and resist the government’s manipulation of this ancient language.

​Thanks and all best,

Ananya Vajpeyi. ​


--

Ananya Vajpeyi 
Fellow
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
29 Rajpur Road, Civil Lines
New Delhi 110054
ext: 229



 

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