U’khand Sanskrit University Convocation held
By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Haridwar, 29 Nov: Governor Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd) attended the Convocation Ceremony of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, here, on Friday. During the ceremony, the Governor conferred the degree of Vidya Vachaspati (DLitt) upon Swami Govind Dev Giri, Dr Chinmay Pandya, and Acharya Srinivas Barkhedi. He also awarded gold medals, PhDs and undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to the university’s students.
Addressing the gathering, the Governor described being born in India as a blessing from God and considered it his good fortune. He emphasised that Sanskrit is a miraculous language, and the mere chanting of its mantras can accomplish various tasks. He congratulated Uttarakhand Sanskrit University for its dedicated efforts toward the preservation and promotion of Sanskrit, and stated that there is a need for all to work towards the protection, enhancement, and propagation of this language. He congratulated and wished success to all the students, urging them to carry forward India’s culture.
The Governor said that this is a very important time for all. He mentioned that Sanskrit will play a significant role in India’s development and explained that our culture considers the entire Earth as a family.
He also highlighted the vital role of youth in nation-building, noting that 65% of India’s population is young. He stated that youth only need proper guidance and encouragement to bring about change in the world. He further said that no other tool can provide complete education like Sanskrit, urging the need to recognise the potential of the language and to conduct research on it.
The Governor said that Sanskrit is one of the world’s oldest languages, with an immense body of literature. Countless texts in Sanskrit are still available today. He mentioned that while people in other parts of the world were leading ordinary lives, sages and seers in India were relentlessly striving for the welfare of humanity through divine vision and spiritual practices. He stressed the need to understand the depth of Sanskrit, connecting its vast knowledge with the forces and ecosystem of today’s world to ensure its protection and promotion.
The Governor also reflected on the wisdom learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly why Indians have been greeting each other with folded hands for thousands of years. He appealed to everyone to contribute to the sanctity, grandeur, purity, and cleanliness of Sanskrit. He explained that the soul of any nation is its culture, and as long as a country’s culture is alive, the nation’s existence remains intact. He emphasised the need to protect Sanskrit and the country’s culture.
He stated that Uttarakhand has a deep connection with Sanskrit. The divinity and grandeur present in every Uttarakhandi’s soul owes much to Sanskrit. He pointed out that significant religious centres like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri are located in this land of gods. He expressed great happiness that Uttarakhand is the first state in India to have Sanskrit as its second language. However, he stressed that the question is: what are we doing for the development of Sanskrit? He mentioned the establishment of a Sanskrit university for research in Sanskrit and modern science, and that continuous work is needed for the preservation of manuscripts and the propagation of Sanskrit.
On this occasion, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dinesh Chandra Shastri, Secretary, Sanskrit Education, Deepak Kumar, and students were among those present.
