In 13 Uttarakhand villages, Sanskrit to be used in daily life

The villagers will be motivated to recite the verses of the Vedas, Puranas, and Upanishads while performing various religious rites, and the women and children will be encouraged to sing religious songs in Sanskrit during festivals and celebrations. Representational file image.
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI

The Uttarakhand government has designated one village in each of its 13 districts as an ‘Adarsh (ideal) Sanskrit village’ to preserve and promote the ancient Indian language which is also the State’s second language, State Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said on Tuesday.

Terming Sanskrit as ‘devvani’ (language of the gods), Mr. Rawat said that its preservation and promotion was a key priority of the government.

“We have made Adarsh Sanskrit Villages in each district where the ancient language will be promoted in a way that the new generation will be connected to Indian philosophy and knowledge traditions through Sanskrit,” he said.

Everyday Sanskrit

The State has appointed spacial instructors who will train the residents of these villages to communicate in Sanskrit in their daily lives. The villagers will be motivated to recite the verses of the Vedas, Puranas, and Upanishads while performing various religious rites, and the women and children will be encouraged to sing religious songs in Sanskrit during festivals and celebrations, the Minister said.

“Even children of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will be encouraged to study Sanskrit to promote harmony among different sections in these villages,” he added.

Officials said that 13 villages have been declared as ideal Sanskrit villages so far: Noorpur Panjhanhedi in Haridwar, Bhogpur in Dehradun, Kotgaon in Uttarkashi, Dimmar in Chamoli, Goda in Pauri, Baiji in Rudraprayag, Mukhem in Tehri in the Garhwal region, and Pandey in Nainital, Jainti in Almora, Kharkkarki in Champawat, Urg in Pithoragarh, Sheri in Bageshwar, and Nagla Tarai in Udham Singh Nagar in the State’s Kumaon region.

The scheme was first conceptualised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat’s regime in 2019, with pilot projects being started in Chamoli and Bageshwar districts.

The State also has more than 100 Sanskrit medium schools.