Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun/Delhi, 4 Jun: Deepak Kumar, Secretary, Sanskrit Education, Programme Implementation and Census, Government of Uttarakhand, paid a courtesy visit on Diana Mickevičienė, Ambassador of Lithuania to India, in New Delhi.
During the meeting, Deepak Kumar highlighted Uttarakhand’s unique distinction as the state in India where Sanskrit enjoys the status of the second official language. He briefed the Ambassador on the numerous initiatives undertaken for the promotion, preservation, and propagation of Sanskrit by the Directorate of Sanskrit Education, Uttarakhand; Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education Council; Uttarakhand Sanskrit University; Uttarakhand Sanskrit Sansthanam; and several other institutions dedicated to strengthening Sanskrit education and scholarship across the state.
He further informed the Ambassador that, under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and with the support of the Central Sanskrit University under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, the Uttarakhand Government established and inaugurated 13 Sanskrit Villages, one in each district of the state in August 2025. These villages have been developed as living centres of Sanskrit where the language is actively used in day-to-day communication and community life.
Inviting the Ambassador to visit one of these Sanskrit Villages as the Chief Guest, Deepak Kumar said that such a visit would provide an opportunity to witness first-hand how Sanskrit continues to flourish as a living language among local communities.
He also conveyed his appreciation and congratulations to renowned Lithuanian Sanskrit scholar Prof Vytis Vidunas for his outstanding contributions to Sanskrit studies and research in Lithuania. He recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had specifically acknowledged Prof Vidunas’ efforts to promote Sanskrit during an episode of Mann Ki Baat in August 2024.
During the interaction, Ambassador Diana Mickevičienė presented a special Sanskrit dictionary to Deepak Kumar. She explained that the publication identifies 108 Sanskrit and Lithuanian words that are remarkably similar in both pronunciation and meaning. The preservation of these linguistic similarities across centuries reflects the deep historical and cultural connections between the two ancient civilisations and highlights the richness and enduring legacy of Sanskrit.
The Ambassador further stated that Prof Vytis Vidunas is currently working on a much larger dictionary documenting more than 1,000 such cognate words. The forthcoming publication is expected to make a significant contribution to comparative linguistics and further strengthen academic and cultural ties between India and Lithuania.
It is worth noting that the study of Indian languages, particularly Hindi and Sanskrit, has been carried out at Vilnius University for several decades. A dedicated Centre of Indian Studies was established under the Department of Oriental Studies at Vilnius University in 1996. In August 2006, the University hosted the Second Regional Conference of Central and Eastern Europe on Indian Studies (CEEIS) under the auspices of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Renowned Sanskrit journalist and Assistant Professor at Hindu College, University of Delhi, Dr Sunil Joshi, was also present during the meeting.
