Thanks for the link, Aleksandar.
For context, the problem with the census enumeration begins in the rules. The epistemological and ethical issues of enumeration in the Indian census go back to its first iteration in 1872. People eventually became able to provide up to 3 languages and the census enumerator is not allowed to investigate or challenge these claims. They can inform their supervisor if they think something is fishy.
People can literally say anything.
The 2021 census was apparently fully digitized, though I'm not sure of its extent. Now, the enumerator is bypassed as people are able to fill out the census themselves.
The 1941 census was totally botched, partly due to changes to enumeration, which included people having the ability to self-select and the inclusion of a new format. These are the reasons why the 1941 census data for Sanskrit is not available.
Ultimately, it seems better to not think of the Sanskrit tokens as relating 1:1 with "Sanskrit speakers", but, rather, with "people who identify as speakers of Sanskrit".
All the best,
Patrick McCartney, PhD
Adjunct Lecturer - Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Research Associate - Nanzan University Anthropological Institute, Nagoya, Japan
Visiting Fellow - South and South-east Asian Studies Department, Australian National University
Member - South Asia Research Institute (SARI), Australian National University
Skype / Zoom - psdmccartney
Phone + Whatsapp + Line: +61410644259
Twitter - @psdmccartney @yogascapesinjap
bodhapūrvam calema ;-)
