Dr. Madhukar Anant Mehendale – A biographical sketch

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Dr. Madhukar Anant Mehendale – A biographical sketch
Nearly seventy years back a family legend travelled from Deccan College (DC), Pune, to Navsari, then back to DC, then two interludes – one to Germany and other to USA – and back to DC, then to Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) Pune for nearly 25 years, and by this time the family legend had long since become a world-class legend. The Sanskrit lovers and Sanskrit scholars world over know Dr. Madhukar Anant Mehendale for his mammoth work on “Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles” and “Cultural Index of Mahabharata”, not to mention his work on Rock-Inscriptions and Avesta. A scholar in Veda & Epics, Nirukta and Historical Linguistics, he has written over a hundred articles in Sanskrit, English and Marathi and a few books.
Dr Mehendale was born on 14 Feb. 1918 in a small village Harsud in Nimar district of Madhya Pradesh where his father worked in a transferable job as a station master in GIP Railway. After he finished his primary schooling it was decided that for further education he should come to Vadodara (Baroda) to stay with his elder cousin. Here he completed his graduation from Baroda College in 1937 and came to Wilson College, Mumbai for post-graduation. He registered for his Doctoral degree at Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute , Pune under Prof. S.M.Katre. The topic for his thesis was “Historical Grammar of Inscriptional Prakrits” for which he obtained his doctorate in 1943. He maintained a first class record throughout. He received scholarship and Mandalik Prize while in Wilson College. His essay on a related topic for competition even won him Bhagwanlal Indraji gold-medal in 1943. His thesis was printed in book form in Deccan College Dissertation Series, in 1948 quickly followed by another book “Aśhokan inscriptions in India” also in 1948.

During this period he had also found a life-partner, Miss Kusum Kashinath Paralikar and had married on 14 Dec 1941. He was an advocate for reducing the jati-bhed and had taken a principled stand to marry outside the strict Kokanastha Brahmin community. On her part, Kusum belonged to a family following Gandhian principles, and insisted on a simple Khadi-clad ceremony without pomp and show. So this marriage had become a topic of discussion for some time. After marriage she completed her studies in Library Science and took up the job of Assistant Liabrarian in DC where she worked for nearly 20 years till her retirement in 1980. In due course of time they got 2 children who grew up to be Col. Pradip (now retired) and Dr. Ashok.
In Baroda Mehendales was a big family and known as a family of achievers but Dr. Madhukar was the first to get a doctoral degree and become the family legend. Soon he joined as Lecturer at Basaveshwar College Bagalkot (karnatak) but came in 1945 to SB Garda College Navsari (Gujrat) as a Professor in Sanskrit and worked there till 1951. He started writing scholarly articles on various topics relating to Vedas and other Sanskrit Granthas, a practice he has followed till date.
In 1951 he came back to DC as a Reader in Sanskrit and became Prof in 1958. He taught Sanskrit and Linguistics at the Pune Univ. and guided research Students. Soon thereafter he was invited as a visiting lecturer by the Goettingen University in Germany for the period 1952-54. Prof. E. Waldschmidt there was working at the instance of GOI to complete the unfinished work of the German scholar Heinrich Lüders on Prakrit Inscriptions. Prof. Waldschmidt was requested to work on the Barhut inscriptions found on the gateways of a Seventh century Buddhist stupa at Barhut, a village in Madhya Pradesh sometimes attributed to the kings of the Sunga Dynasty. These Inscriptions are in Brahmi Script. Prof Waldschmidt desired the assistance of Dr. Mehendale. Thus apart from teaching Indian Languages, Dr. Mehendale also assisted in the completion of the work of Barhut Inscriptions which was published in 1963 in the series Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum. More editions are now published in 1998 in Multiple languages.

Coming back to DC, he continued his teaching profession, his arduous routine of self-study and his writings. In between, he received Senior Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship for 1957-58 and went to the Yale Univ in the USA where he studied “Ashwina- hymns”. Coming back once again to DC he continued to work as a teacher and published some more work. Between 1961 to 1980 he guided 12 Ph.D students. He received Maharashtra State Award for Univ. level Teachers in 1976. In 1973 he was entrusted with the additional responsibility of Joint General Editor of the Sanskrit Dictionary for which Prof. A. M. Ghatage was the chief editor. Dr. Mehendale gladly undertook the responsibility. Though he retired from his job as a professor in 1978, he continued to work on Project Dictionary till 1983 – that is till the age of 65.
“Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles” is a gigantic task. It was not just a compilation of words but had its own challenges out of which, as per the editors, two were most important. First, these words had been used over several millennia and had acquired different shades in different era. Hence the ability to go back to the Vedic period, to understand and fix the vedic meaning as a base and next to go on comparing its usage in different ages, was the challenge. Many commentaries of the old seers as well as of modern scholars had to be referred to. Only experts with a firm knowledge of Vedas and the classical Sanskrit, coupled with a vast reading of various available commentaries could guide such a work. Second, the Dictionary was being compiled in English language. How do you describe a word that has a complexity of its own in a different language and yet convey the nearest possible meaning? This was possible because of Dr Mehendale’s mastery over German and English languages too.
Working on the Dictionary Project, the Ghatage-Mehendale duo managed to get an output of nearly 300 oversized pages of text per year. They had a 40-scholar strong team who would compile the information but it had to stand to the scrutiny of Dr. Ghatage and Dr. Mehendale. Problems would be often referred to them and they would always provide an accurate insight. Publication of these Fascicules has given a definitive reputation to DC. The importance of nearly 4000 pages published by them can be understood from the fact that scholars have estimated this as only one-tenth to one-twentieth of the total work involved. Although the available manpower is now less and consequently the work has now fallen in speed, the DC has continued this prestigious project.
On retiring from Deccan College, Dr Mehendale was invited by Prof R.N. Dandekar to join Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) as Editor, “Epilogue of the Mahabharata” and later to work on its prestigious project of “Cultural index of Mahabharat”. By this time, BORI had completed the mammoth task undertaken by it earlier namely, Compilation of the Critical Edition of Mahabharat. BORI was now ready to look back at another great work done on Mahabharata, namely, “An index to the names in the Mahabharata” by Sorensen, the first edition of which was published in 1904. This was an index of names of all persons, mythological and human, appearing in Mahabharata. What was needed was to add the relevance and the role played by that person at that event in whose context his or her name appeared. For example, if the name Dhoumya appears in Aranyaparva, then it is important to add in the index that he was, as referred in that chapter, offering himself as the Purohit of Pandavas during their vanavas. This task was taken up by BORI and the work was entrusted to Dr. Mehendale, who worked untiringly for 25 years, as the Chief Editor of the Cultural Index of the Mahabharata. Very few people would know that he worked completely voluntarily without taking any honorarium, as did many a great scholars contributing their work to BORI. He was able to prepare material for Fascicules which are now the proud publication of BORI in the form of 2 Volumes (in 1997 and 2007 respectively) and 2 more Fascicules of the 3rd Volume. The first two volumes do not have the advantage of Sorensen’s compilation as these two volumes contain the index of names of inanimate objects and non-human characters such as ‘Meru Parvat’ or ‘Gandeeva’ or ‘Takshak’ whereas Sorensen’s work is restricted to personal names. The work on the the third volume is expansion on Sorensen’s work.
The list of published works of Dr Mehendale and the awards conferred on him is quite impressive. Capping them all, in 1990 he received President’s Certificate of Honour and in 1995, Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. P. V. Kane Gold Medal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay for his lifetime work. He Gave Memorial Lectures for 9 prestigious series, including Wilson Philological Lecture. He was conferred Academic Honours as President “Indian Linguistic” Session and “Vedic” at AIOC in 1955 and 1974 and President of BORI in 2007.
His book Madhu-Vidya brought out by Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology is a Collection of his articles, book reviews and essays on Vedic and Classical Sanskrit literature. The compilation has 8 sections. The section on Vedas has 35 articles, the Iranian section has 12, those on Pali & Prakrit, Linguistics and Mahabharata are 14 each, book reviews are 53, Miscellaneous 8 and obituary 3. This gives a glimpse of the range of his writing. Titles like (a) Ekavit in the Vedic Literature (b) Abode of “Mitra” (c) Satyameva Jayate Nanritam (for American Journal of Oriental Society) suggest the complexity of these articles.
Another book Makaranda -- a Festschrift (Abhinandan grantha) in honor of Dr. Mehendale, comprises research papers written by great scholars in English and Sanskrit on Vedic literature. Its foreward quotes “We are happy to publish this felicitation volume for Prof Dr M.A. Mehendale, distinguished and world-famous scholar, whose contributions in the field of Sanskrit, Prakrit and Avestan studies are outstanding and whose association with the institutes of great reputation like Deccan College and Bhandarkar Institute is decades old. We hope and believe that the scholars in the fields in which he has been for many years working will welcome this publication.” Such type of felicitation is quite rare and is a testimony to the important work accomplished by him.
Most of his books have been printed in multiple editions and are held by renowned liabraries world over. Here is a list of some selective works ---
Books of Dr. M.A. Mehendale held by liabraries world-wide
Historical grammar of Inscriptional Prakrits -- 1948 , English -13 editions -57 libraries.

Aśokan inscriptions in India : a linguistic study, together with an exhaustive bibliography 1948, English-2 editions - 29 libraries .
Barhut inscriptions / Corpus inscriptionum Indicarum – publ.by ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
-- edited by H. Luders ; revised by E. Waldschmidt and M.A. Mehendale– 1963, English -4 editions - 65 libraries.

Nirukta notes: series I –1965, English -6 editions - 42 libraries.
Nirukta notes : series II –1978, English-3 editions - 3 libraries.

Veda manuscripts – 1964, English -1 edition - 3 libraries.

Catalogue of Sanskrit manuscripts in the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Poona -- 1965, English and Sanskrit- 3 editions - 36 libraries.

Some Aspects of Indo-Aryan linguistics -- 1968 English -6 editions - 61 libraries.

Studies in historical Sanskrit lexicography –1973, English -7 editions - 59 libraries.

Dictionary of Sanskrit on historical principles : specimen fascicule Jointly with Dr Ghatage -- 1973 , English -2 editions - 6 libraries.

Reflections on the Mahābhārata war 1995, English- 4 editions - 43 libraries.

Mahābhārata, cultural index Vol I -- (Comprehensive subject-wise index to the cultural information available in the text of Mahābhārata.) 1997, English -8 editions - 47 libraries.

Madhu-vidyā : collected papers (-Collected articles, book reviwes and essays on Vedic and Classical Sanskrit literature) -- 2001, English -2 editions-36 libraries.

Prolegomena on metre and textual history of the Rgveda (Metrische und textgeschichtliche Prolegomena, Berlin, 1888 / Hermann Oldenberg) ; translated into English alongwith V.G. Paranjape, 2005
Marathi books –

Rigveda Samhitakara ani Father Esteler- 1976
Marāṭhīcā bhāshika abhyāsa --1979, Marathi -2 editions - 9 libraries.
Prāchīna Bhārata : samāja āṇi sãnskr̥itī (Critical articles, chiefly on the Mahābhārata, and a few on ancient Indian civilization). -- 2001, Marathi 1 edition - 7 libraries.
Vaidic vagmayantil prashnottare Compilation - 1980
Varunvishayak vichaar Based on the two volumes on Varun by Prof. Luders Rigvedsara Translation from Selective Compilation of Hymns by Vinoba Bhave -1982
Game of Dice in Ancient India -1990
Gatha Jarthushtrachya aani yasnya haptanhaiti Translation along with Saanskrit Parallels
Eka shodha svatahcha bhavanika santulana bighadalelya eka atibuddhimana mulaci hrdayasparsi katha / Vharjiniya Ema. Eksalina ; Translation alongwith Sanjaya Oka. 2006
Finally, with his accidental fall and hospitalization in 2009-10, he decided to stop his work at BORI. He now spends time for his own reading and playing with grand-children. The happiness he derives from children can be understood from the fact that he even translated the world-famous novel “The Little Prince” from French to Marathi, a subject far away from his routine of scholarly Sanskrit texts.
As the editors of Makaranda describe him – “In Prof Mehendale, we were meeting an academic of great stature, we found him not only an humble yet dignified and a pleasantly communicative scholar, but also serene, soft-spoken, and forthright as well as fearless, a rare combination of several desirable facets for any scholar of outstanding merits and distinction…….” His family members, and friends add another quality – “very considerate and taking extra efforts to maintain sweet relationship”.
After his 93rd birthday, his friends and followers only wish to have him amongst them for many more years so as to get the benefit of his scholarly words.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Lectures
1966. Wilson Pholological Lectures, University of Bombay
1975. Kaushik Lecture Series (no.18), S.P. College, Pune.
1789. Bhau Vishnu Ashetekar Vedic Lectures, University of Pune.
1985. Dr. P.V. Kane Memorial Lecture
1987. Dr. H.R. Divekar Memorial Lecture
1988. Padmavati Pratishthan Lecture Series
1990. Prof. G.K. Bhat Memorial Lecture
1991. Prof. A.G. Manjgrulkar Memorial Lectures
1994. Dr. R.S. Walimbe Memorial Lectures
Researches Guided
(i) for Ph.D., Poona University “:
1961. “Linguistic Analysis of Koli – A Dialect of Marathi”
(-Smt. Suhasini S. Laddu)
1962. “Indo-Aryan Elements in Cankam Literature”
(-Shri S. Vaidyanathan)
1963. “Epic Syntax” (-Shri K. Meenakshi)
1964. “Language of Yaska’s Nirukta”
(-Shri Mantrini Prasad)
1967. “Evolution of the Sanskrit Language from Panini to Patanjali (with reference to the krt of Primary Formations)” (-Shri S.D. Laddu)
1971. “The Maitrayanai Mamhita – its Ritual and Language” (-Shri T.N. Dharmadhikari)
1973. “Agastya Legends – A Historical and Cultural Study” (-Shri M.N. Boardikar)
1974. “Comparative Study of Three Gujarati Dialects;
Surti, Charotari and Kathiawadi”
1975. “Fables, Parables and Moral Tales in the Mahabharata” (-Shri Palat Raut)
1978. “The Concept of Vac in the Vedic Literature”
(-Smt. Pratibha G. Deshmukh, now Pratibha M. Pingle)
1980. “A Descriptive Study of Tarai Nepali”
(- Shri D.C. Gautam)
(ii) For Ph.D., Ravishankar University, Raipur, M.P. :
1973. “Panini sa Patanjali tak Samskrt ka Vikas
Taddhita Pratyayom ke Adhar par” (in Hindi)
(“Development of the Sanskrit Language from Panini to Patanjali, with reference to the Secondary Formations”)
(-Smt. Manisha Pathak)
(iii) For M. Phil, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune :
1996. “Oldenberg yanca Akhyana-Siddhanta” (In Marathi) (“The Akhyana Theory of Oldenberg”)
(-Smt. Usha Barve).

Academic Honours
1955. President, “Indian Linguistics” Section, 18th Session (Annamalainagar), All-India Oriental Conference
1974. President, “Vedic” Section, 27th Session
(Kurukshetra), All-India Oriental Conference
1979. President, Linguistic Society of India
1996. President, Sanskrit Literature & Linguistics” Section,
Brihanmaharashtra Prachyavidya Parishad, 1st Session, Pune.
Awards.
1975. Maharashtra State Award for Teachers (University Level)
1990. President’s Certificate of Honour (Sanskrit)
1996. MM. Dr. P.V. Kane Gold Medal for 1992-95
(The Asiatic Society of Bombay)
1997. Guru Gangeshvara National Veda-Vedanga Award (Nashik)
1997. Pandit Rajaramsghastri Natekar Award (Pune)
1997. Purushottam Award (Late Mrs. Jayanti Wasudev Trust, Sangli)
1998. Prof. N.R. Phatak Memorial Award (Pune)
1999. Shreemanta Nanasaheb Peshwe Religious and Spiritual Award (Shree Devadevshwar samsthan, Pune).
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'मेहेंदळे मोशन पिक्चर्स'' निर्मित
संस्कृत, प्राकृत, निरुक्त, महाभारत; तसंच अवेस्ता या पारशी धर्मग्रंथाचे अभ्यासक, प्रकांड पंडित - 98 वर्षीय 'डॉ. मधुकर अनंत मेहेंदळे' यांच्यावरील संपूर्ण माहितीपट सादर करण्यात आला आहे.
या माहितीपटाची संकल्पना - लीना मेहेंदळे (माजी सनदी अधिकारी)
समन्वयक - रोहिणी प्रदिप मेहेंदळे
संहिता - आरती गोखले
निवेदन - मधुवंती दांडेकर (संगीत रंगभूमीवरील ज्येष्ठ अभिनेत्री आणि गायिका)
सबटायटल्स - डॉ. माधवी कोल्हटकर
दिग्दर्शक, संकलक, कॅमेरा - ओंकार चंद्रकांत प्रधान आणि धनंजय वसंत मेहेंदळे
निर्माते - कर्नल प्रदिप मधुकर मेहेंदळे, डॉ. अशोक मधुकर मेहेंदळे, धनंजय वसंत मेहेंदळे (मेहेंदळे मोशन पिक्चर्स)
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ग्रहदशा

आ चं भौ रा गु श बु के शु । आ (रवि) भौ (भौम)
आछै, चंदस, मंगल सात
राहु अठारा,गुरु सोला, तो शनी उन्नीसा
बुध सतरा और केतु सात तो
शुक्र बीस से भये सौबीसा।

Using Modern Media for Promotion of Sanskrit

Using Modern Media for Promotion of Sanskrit

Abstract: Sanskrit is today at cross roads. Mentioned in the Indian Constitution as one of the Modern Indian Languages, the Sanskrit speaking population in the country was only 10,000 as per the 2001 population census. Yet there is a need to sustain the currency of Sanskrit at various levels given that it is the Mother language of a majority of Indian languages, its rich literature could still hold attraction for many a readers, it is a fountainhead of much of our culture and, most important, its study at a deeper level has a lot to offer to modern Indian knowledge, be it Ayurveda, Yoga, Music, Grammar, Philosophy, Mathematics and even IT.

Traditional methods of retaining the currency of Sanskrit, let alone enhance it, have their own limitations. An essential feature of these methods is their insulation from modern tools and communication avenues. This article therefore strongly argues in favour of using these techniques and methods and looks at the policy initiatives that will be necessary to support such efforts. These techniques will have follow to parallel processing approach given the diverse nature of the audience interested in Sanskrit e.g. those engaging with it at a very basic level, those doing it at a deeper level of understanding and enjoyment, those using it in livelihood mode and those engaging with it in a professional manner leading to research and enhancement of the state of current knowledge. At one level the scholars of the language may have to learn the state of the art IT methods while at the other those at the forefront of professional pursuits will have to be fast-tracked into acquiring knowledge of the language with nuances relevant for their purpose.

While methods like telecast or broadcast will address certain issues, use of tweeter, U-tube, audio-visual learning and archiving, specialized blogs catering to various subjects will address more nuanced requirements. What we need is a policy and support environment that maximizes such efforts and a facilitating structure that takes modern communication methods to this ancient yet living language.

It is expected that this article will generate a vibrant debate on the use of modern IT and communication tools for increasing the usage of Sanskrit and inform the policy-makers of the concrete steps needed in this direction.
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Sanskrit is not just a language but an inexhaustible treasure of knowledge. If we allow this to be lost we will be swept backward in the pursuit of knowledge. Sanskrit is mentioned in the 8 th schedule of Indian Constitution as one of the Modern Indian Languages. According to the 2001 census, the Sanskrit speaking population was only 10,000 which is far less than population figures in 1951. The language is classified as non-regional. So, theoretically, it is the heritage of everyone and belongs to everyone, but in practice it belongs to none. Such a reality should start worrying anyone who is keenly associated with Sanskrit. Govt. of India as well as many state governments have found it fit to close down or de-subsidize erstwhile Sanskrit institutions on the ground that it is a dwindling language.

There is a redeeming feature though, for us to cash upon. If we pick up the dictionaries of All Indian languages, (and also the dictionaries of few other Asian languages such as Nepali, Sinhali, Thai, Combodian Indonesian) we find that 70-80 percent comprise Sanskrit words. The number of Sanskrit manuscripts collected from all over India and of the available Sanskrit texts is humungous. Thus there is a huge treasure of knowledge that we need to explore. But then, are we at the brink of losing this invaluable treasure for non-availability of Sanskrit scholars, adequate Sanskrit speaking population and adequate efforts and funding from Govt.?
Inclusion of the language in the 8th schedule list meant that the language was entitled to representation on the Official Languages Commission and there is an added significance that the Government of India is under obligation to take measures for the development of the language, such that "they grow rapidly in richness and become effective means of communicating modern knowledge." But no adequate efforts, plans or schemes are in sight.
In addition, a candidate appearing in an examination conducted for public service at a higher level is entitled to use Sanskrit as the medium in which he or she answers the paper. Over the last 20 years such a number has dwindled too. However, there is no Govt. department or Institution whose mandate includes promotion of Sanskrit. The CIIL, Mysore (Central Institute of Indian Languages) has a mandate to “Work for Integration of Indian Languages Except Sanskrit and Hindi.
Recently Uttarakhand has emerged as the only state to declare Sanskrit language as “Other officially recognized languages”.

This much for the legal and official status of the language. What is the position of teaching-learning?

The traditional methods available for promoting Sanskrit are scholastic, syllabus-oriented and formal. There are 18 Sanskrit Universities in India, and one Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthanam which runs as an Apex organization for nearly 40 school-level and partly college-level Sanskrit institutions. However, with Sanskrit getting out of the syllabus of most of the Matriculation Examination Boards, the adequate feeder population will not be available.
Thus in last 10 years we have come to a peculiar situation as in this graph which indicates a mismatch between infrastructure for higher and feeder levels



This brings us to the need of supporting the academic methods by informal methods, particularly use of media, such as TV and Radio channels, Internet, U-Tube, Social Networking Sites, Portals, Events and Print Media.

This article discusses these methods, with questions such as --
Why use the modern media and How ? What policy guidelines will be needed /helpful ? What are the Do’s and Don’t’s ? What is the importance of effective Feedback and how to ensure that ?

People interested in Sanskrit are of 4 categories –
· Peripheral learners, students etc who want some shlokas, some quick-learning lessons, a bit of grammar, and vocabulary so that when they read a small passage, they can savor its beauty and contents. This emotional attachment is the key to preserve our Unity in Diversity and must be adequately catered to.
· Somewhat deep learner, not very keen on language itself but wanting to know from the vast treasure of knowledge-contents in Sanskrit. Such knowledge is sometimes found preserved and available only by a select few. Hence the need to address a larger audience.
· Great scholars, keen on attaining further heights as well as giving their acquired wisdom to others, researchers, institutions etc.
· Those who can combine this treasure of knowledge with modern sciences to generate and carry out Research Ideas.

Graphically these 4 categories can be represented on a IE-graph –




Let us look at a parallel from Agriculture and Forestry where a “broadcasting method” of sowing is often used. What does it mean? It means that when you have a vast area to cover under sowing, your man-power and time at hand are limited, and you can afford to suffer some wastage of seed, then rather than sowing each seed separately, in a carefully dug and prepared pit, you just throw millions of seeds, thereby covering vast areas in far less time and leave it to the exigencies of land and weather conditions to decide how many seeds will germinate.

The methods of TV and Radio are like this broadcast technique of sowing.

Now we come to those 6 questions –
Why use the modern media
and How ?
What policy guidelines will be needed /helpful ?
What are the Do’s and Don’t’s ?
What is the importance of effective Feedback and
how to ensure that ?

I am ignoring the question why promote Sanskrit -- for its obvious answers such as
1. If Indians don’t promote it then who will?
2. Sanskrit has a huge treasure of knowledge waiting to be explored.
3 People are emotionally attached to it and hence it is the symbol of our national integration.
4. A large number of Western scholars are learning it, collecting manuscripts and carrying out research. So we must not be left behind.
etc etc.

I first go to the question “Who is using modern media, to What extent and How?”
For Sanskrit, the most widely used medium today is that of blogs and Web-site. They are available in large numbers and even blog-catalogues and blog-aggregators are being created. Web-site is another tool used by almost all reputed institutions. These are also being inventorised.

Proposal 1 -- Can we have frequent events such as bloggers’-meet, seminars, blog-competetion, etc?

However we need a much bigger platform where all the scholars and institutions can network and achieve a free exchange and rapid spread of this knowledge. This can be provided only by broadcasting channels.

Among TV channels, Doordarshan has a few programs such as daily 5 min. news bulletin and a weekly program of school level Sanskrit learning produced by RSS (Occasionally supported by Sanskrit Bharti). The All-India Radio has more hours – by way of news, teaching programs and literature appreciation. The news bulletins are getting archived on web-sites and are good tools for preparing future batches of news-readers. On private Radio and TV, the presence of Sanskrit is almost nil.

The presence of Sanskrit on TV-Radio media needs to increased many-folds. A far more effective approach is of a serial. A weekly serial ensures continuous presence before viewers offering tremendous flexibility to them, thus avoiding to make demands on their time – they may find it very interesting and hence participate or show a lukewarm interest or relish the entertainment and forget or ignore to see, but it will all be their wish. They can revert to it at any future occasion.
The serial would establish a network among all those who are doing good work for Sanskrit. and ensure flow of the treasured knowledge to appropriate recipients. It can also discover knowledge-treasures lying in some hidden corners and hitherto unavailable.

A typical weekly serial for 1year duration will cost a modest budget of about Rs 2 crores.

An associated portal offers archival and participatory support. For feedback, SMS and emails are quick-response, short-time methods whereas portal has a long-term potential for feed-back.

Here is a schematic diagram showing the possibilities. Programs based on Dharohar (Heritage), and Career-progression, those promoting events like Stotra-Gayan, and those generating research ideas, revalidation-experiments and networking are some suggestions.


Why would the youth learn Sanskrit? With MNCs wanting to capture Indian market and also trying to source their raw-material and production from India, they need a middle-management that can deal with both customers and workers in Indian languages. They would need to use icons, symbols and philosophies which are essentially Indian. Hence the knowledge of Sanskrit and its treasures of wisdom is necessary. Even from a sheer view-point of market-economy, promoting Sanskrit on Media makes sense.

Involving Senior citizens to once again establish the tradition of story-telling to build up the bond between them and their third generation is yet another strategy which we can begin with the stories of Mahabharat and Ramayan, the world’s largest epics.

For the input side of the TV-Radio media as well as on their own, we must use following techniques more frequently
a) Events b) Writer’s workshops c) Seminars d) Print media e) Publishers f) Liabraries etc.

Proposal 2 – Plan for a far bigger presence on the channels. Ensure that they are
a) Informative - about the treasure of knowledge and the experts working on them.
b) Educative - giving lessons in a creative and entertaining way.
c) Archival
d) Guides about career avenues .
e) Identifies research ideas, the laboratories and sources of funding.

Among other modern techniques, video and audio conferencing are in use in a small way – mostly where the recipient group is located abroad. But there is no cataloguing of these, so the benefit is restricted to a small number - say 10 or 20 per session.
Proposal 3 – With little support these lessons can be uploaded on U-Tubes and an effective networking among all the conferencing groups can be achieved.
The tradition of text communication through the Shruti method has been practiced in this Country for many thousands of years. The practice of communication through written text has come much later but with an advantage of retaining for much longer period and random accessibility at any time even to third parties who is not part of the “Teller-Listener” theme. The possibility of putting audio text on internet combines the advantages in both the methods of communications namely the Shruti Parampara and the Lekhan Parampara. We have yet to make full use of this technology to revive our age-old Shruti Parampara. Such a revival is very necessary because the communication losses in the Lekhan Parampara are far more. In Shruti Parampara the losses are kept at a minimal through such practices as a “Ghanpaath”. But the real advantage of shruti parampara is the proximity of Guru and possibility of instant correction of error by Guru. Audio storage of the Sanskrit text on the internet will have a trade off between quick-time approach and errors in learning. On a TV serial the errors can be corrected by a Guru-Shishya team. The possibilities are enormous.
Above are some details through which I have tried to emphasize the need of using modern tools to promote Sanskrit. They will no doubt need a strong support from community which, undoubtedly, will be available once this perspective is clear. With that expectation and hope, I close this article.
-- Leena Mehendale
Chief patron of kaushalam Trust and Member Central Administrative tribunal, Banglore bench