SANSKRIT AS OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
M. SIVAKAMAYYA
Principal,
Andhra Jateeya Kalasala, Machilipatnam
This
ancient Indian culture was enshrined in the Sanskrit language, parent of many
of the languages now prevailing in different parts of the country, from
which even the others which do not belong to the same family have also borrowed
freely, and copiously, and thus the source of strength and sustenance of all.
It was the store-house of all the achievements of the
people of the various parts of the country, in arts and sciences, literature
and philosophy, traditions and ideals. It was for long stretches of time, and
over large parts of the country, sometimes over the whole country, the official
language of administration and the link language of the intellectuals who
belonged to the different language regions, the language of all their secular
literature as well as religious scriptures. It was never the exclusive
possession
of anyone region,
religion or class, but the common property and inheritance of all, to which the
people of all the regions, languages, religions and classes contributed considerably
from time to time. It was the national language in the true sense of the term
and the national psyche was embodied in it.
The
numerous foreign invasions and conquests, in the ancient period of the history
of our land, did not affect the integrity and continuity of this culture, or
the position and prestige of the Sanskrit language in which it was enshrined.
Even during the medieval period of Muslim conquest and domination, when, over a
large part of the country, Persian was the language of the courts and the
administration, and hence popular with the nobility and the official classes,
the prestige and status of Sanskrit did not suffer in any
remarkable measure. It did not cease to be the link language for
intellectual commerce and the language of the common culture of the people of
the different parts of the country. But in the modern period, however, when the
nation was under the British Government, the dominant position accorded to the
English language, the language of the ruling race, as the language of
administration, and the medium of instruction in educational institutions,
damaged its prestige and reduced its popularity and prominence considerably.
English language became, to the ambitious youth of the country, the gateway to
lucrative employment, material prosperity and social prestige, as well as the
means for acquiring knowledge of modern science and technology, and imbibing
modern concepts of democracy, liberty, equality and justice. It introduced
them to a new and altogether alien civilisation, with its own glamour as well
as merits, fascinated them and ultimately enslaved them.
Sanskrit
was dethroned as it were and English usurped its place of prestige. The nation
was subjected to a process of cultural conquest and enslavement, lost its native
moorings, and the natural springs of its strength, vigour
and vitality, deteriorated in every direction, material, cultural and moral as
well as political. Along with the prestige and vogue of the national language,
the national culture was also damaged and eliminated. The soul of the nation
was stifled and the nation degenerated and decayed.
During
the period of the national struggle for political freedom, our leaders realised, resented, and protested against, the damage
suffered by the nation on account of the unnatural position of prominence
occupied by the English language in the administrative and educational systems
of the country, and heroic attempts were made, along with the attempts to wrest
political power from the rulers, to revive the national soul, by encouraging
the use and growth of the national languages and literatures of the people of
the different regions, as well as their indigenous arts and crafts, traditions
and ideals. The need for a national link language was also realised
for inter-regional co-operation and co-ordination of the common endeavour; and Hindi, which was among the national
languages, the one spoken by the largest number of people, some variant or
other of which was spoken and understood over a large part of the country, was
selected for that role of honour. A great effort was
made to spread a knowledge of it in the non-Hindi
regions also and to replace the English language by it in inter-regional
correspondence and conferences.
When
political independence was achieved and a Constitution was framed for Free
India, Hindi was therefore declared the Official Language of the Union
Government; but even then its limitations for the function were fully realised, a period of transition was contemplated, various
steps for popularising it in the non-Hindi regions,
for enriching it and developing it and effecting a smooth transition, were
provided for. The importance of the other regional languages was also recognised; they were all declared national languages, and
the future official languages of the State Governments in their respective
regions. The importance of Sanskrit, the language of the common national
culture, was also recognised; it was included in the list of
national languages enumerated in the 8th Schedule, and it was specifically laid
down that Hindi, the future Official Language of the Union Government, should
be developed to qualify for its role of honour by
drawing largely upon the other national languages, and especially Sanskrit, the
parent language of most of them.
But as the time fixed in the Constitution for the
change-over approached, and steps began to be taken for effecting the
transition, defects and difficulties in the proposed arrangement came to be
revealed. The fitness of Hindi, in its present condition, in no way more
developed than most of the other regional languages, to replace English as the
official language of the Union, as the link language for inter-State relations,
and as the medium of instruction in higher education all over the country, was
questioned; the need for recognising and ensuring in
the present, and for a considerable time to come, an important place for
English in the educational system and in the national life of the country, for
spreading among the people modern knowledge, especially in Science and
Technology, and achieving an adequate measure of success in the plans of
economic and social development 4lndertaken, came to be realised
with increasing urgency; and the danger, in case a hasty attempt were made to
replace English by Hindi, of a steep fall in the standards of educational
attainment and administrative efficiency, felt to be already at a deplorably
low level, came to be feared. Moreover, the adoption of the democratic forms
and processes of government and the execution of gigantic plans of economic
development and industrialisation through the application of modern science and
technology, before the national soul had been fully recovered from its torpor
during centuries of foreign domination, before the national culture had been
revived after the consequent decay, and before the process of national
integration had been completed, encouraged narrow, material, sectional and
regional interests in the people, their representatives in the legislatures,
and even the leaders in public life, and forces of moral deterioration and
national disintegration began to manifest themselves. Differences arose, and
intolerance grew to alarming proportions, over the official language issue as
over several others; motives were suspected and attributed, extreme views were
advocated, and unconstitutional methods resorted to, and vested interests
developed, for a rapid and high-handed change-over on one side, and for
permanent retention of the status quo on the other, and the country is now faced
with a formidable internal crisis over this issue, at a time when it is
threatened with the danger of aggression on the frontiers by powerful enemies.
Bitter feelings have been roused between the advocates of English and Hindi for
the role of the official language of the
To
avoid such differences, disputes and conflicts and dis-integrating
tendencies; to promote the cause of national culture and thereby contribute to
national unity which has always been based on a common and distinctive culture;
to revive the national spirit and to recover the soul of the nation, and
release the springs of national strength and vitality; to set the nation on the
path of real progress and prosperity, growth and development, in accordance
with its native genius; to ensure, in course of time, the realisation of the
national destiny and the national contribution to modern civilisation, and save
humanity from the crisis with which it is faced now, by an assertion of our
national ideals of spirituality, unity, tolerance and peace, the language of
our national culture has to be restored to its rightful place in the national
life. Sanskrit should be the official language of the Union Government and
the link language for inter-State relations and the medium of instruction in
higher education. The regional languages should be the official
languages in the states and media of instruction at the secondary stage. The
regional languages will all derive strength and sustenance and grow to their
full stature by such an arrangement. The common people will be able to keep themselves
in touch with, and enjoy equal opportunities of an equitable share in, the
administration; no particular regional or linguistic section will enjoy any
position of undue prestige or privilege; the wound to the national prestige
will be healed, and the national spirit revived, and national culture
will be re-established and enabled to flourish and strengthen the nation, English
will continue in its present position till it is replaced by Sanskrit. A
definite date can be set for the change-over and steps for effecting the
transition without any inconvenience can be planned and carried out
according to a prescribed time schedule. Sanskrit should replace Hindi in
the three language formula now adopted, so that all over the country,
three languages, the regional language, the national language, Sanskrit, and
the international language will be compulsorily studied; the transition can be
planned to be completed within the period of the educational process of one
generation and the period of the employment career of one generation. The
transition may take a long time but it will be worth while, and meanwhile,
there will be growth in unity and strength.
Sanskrit
is eminently qualified for the place of honour. It is
one of the most ancient languages in the world, perfect, precise and
scientific. It is the store-house of the culture and civilisation of Greater
India, a vehicle of Eurasian culture and a link between many of the Eurasian
languages for over five thousand years. It has already to its credit a vast and
rich literature covering various branches of knowledge, in arts, sciences,
philosophy and religion. Many invaluable treasures of knowledge and cu1ture,
preserved in the language, have yet to see the light of day and be brought into
contact and intercourse with modern knowledge, so that they might contribute
effectively to the common stock of knowledge of the human race. A revival of
the prestige of the language in the country, and consequently in the
international sphere, can thus contribute effectively to the progress of human
civilisation. It has a rich vocabulary, and vast potentialities for increasing
it and developing it, to serve as a vehicle of modern thought, and medium of
higher education in modern times.
Only
a few misapprehensions are likely to prevail in certain sections of the people:
one, that it is a difficult language and is likely to remain beyond the reach
of the common people; and the other, that its ascendancy has been, and will be,
used by the learned and priestly classes to exploit the masses, and lastly the
revival of its vogue may lead to reaction and obscurantism. The objections are
really weighty and have to be faced and answered. It is unquestionable that in
a democratic and secular State, the official language of administration should
be within easy reach of at least a reasonable proportion of the common people
and that it should not be such as to lead to the emergence of a priestly or
privileged class and exploitation of the masses. But the use of the arguments
by way of objections to Sanskrit can be easily answered. It should not be
beyond the ingenuity of the intellectuals of the nation to attempt considerable
simplification of the language and the methods of learning and teaching it, to
the extent necessary for using it for communication in the ordinary
transactions of life and affairs of public interest and administration, so that
it may be accessible to an adequate proportion of the population. Experiments
with the language, in this direction, have been made from time
to time and can be encouraged and attempted more systematically, if need be.
The language of administration at the State level will be the
regional language only, and the regional languages will all be uniformly, and
more, akin to the official language of the Union Government, if Sanskirt occupies the place, than if it is English or any
one of the regional languages.
“It
may be disputed whether the language and the literature in it have ever been
the exclusive possession or monopoly of the priestly classes in the past, and
have been responsible for any exploitation and superstition; but even conceding
for the sake of argument, that it had been the case in the past, there can be
no reason to fear any such development in the future, as we have adopted a
democratic form of government, a secular conception of the State, and a
socialistic pattern of life as our goal. On the other hand, even to fight
reaction, obscurantism and superstition among the people, and their
exploitation by the learned and intellectual classes of the old, or a new,
type, education has to spread among the masses. A revival of the prestige and
importance of Sanskrit, a spread of the knowledge of the national language of
our ancient culture, in which our religious scriptures are all preserved, will
help a rational understanding and fruitful application of religious teachings
and observance of religious rituals, customs and traditions, with the necessary
modifications to suit the changing circumstances of modern times, and to subserve the original purposes and functions behind them,
so that the fundamentals of our glorious ancient culture, which everyone
professes to value and revere, may be preserved from blind conservatism and
superstition on the one hand, and equally blind contempt and rejection, out of
ignorance of the significance of our scriptures, rituals, aims and traditions
and a craving for blind imitation of alien conventions and customs on the
other; and no class or community can be said to enjoy any natural advantage or
preferential facilities or special aptitude for learning the language. Among
the students of the language in our educational institutions at present, of the
general type or the oriental type, we find a fair representation of all castes
and communities and a fair proportion of each exhibiting aptitude for it and
proficiency in it, and there is no evidence of any danger of a monopoly of any
kind emerging as a result of its use as the official language of the Union.
Thus
the crisis with which the country is now faced over the official language issue
may prove a blessing in disguise, if it should lead to a restoration of the
language of our national culture to its rightful place and thereby to a true
understanding of, and a revival of faith in, the fundamental values of our traditional
culture, and an honest attempt to realise them in
practice and derive strength and inspiration from them in building up our
nation. A good deal of propaganda may be necessary to remove baseless
misapprehensions and enlist the sympathies of the masses, for the glorious
cause, to which there is bound to be an instinctive response from all sections
of the people, if they are properly appealed to. It is up
to the intelligentia of the land to take up the cause
of Sanskrit, educate the public, and persuade our representatives in the legislatures
and leaders of public opinion, to advocate the use of Sanskrit as the official
language of the Central Government and the link language for
inter-State transactions and medium of instruction in institutions of higher
education. We have to suggest and urge the necessary
action, to take steps immediately for providing for compulsory study of
Sanskrit from the early stages of the educational system, the replacement of
Hindi by Sanskrit in the accepted three language formula; the use of the
regional language, in due course, as the medium of instruction at the secondary
stage all over the country, and compulsory study of Sanskrit at that stage;
ultimately the use of Sanskrit as the medium of instruction at the University
level with due provision for the compulsory study of English or any other well
developed modern language, to keep our intellectuals in touch with modern
knowledge, especially in science and technology. We have to provide for the
continuance of English as the official language at the Centre
till it is replaced by Sanskrit, and fix a date for the change-over, and plan
in detail, for the steps to be taken during the transition period, for ensuring
a smooth change-over without any inconvenience to anyone section or linguistic
group in the country, and any danger of deterioration in standards of academic
attainments in our educational institutions or standards of efficiency in our
administrative services.