Garhwal Post Bureau
New Delhi, 5 Aug: Ahead of World Sanskrit Day, Uttarakhand has taken another significant step towards promoting Sanskrit and the Indian knowledge tradition at the global level by initiating efforts to strengthen academic and cultural cooperation with the Republic of Indonesia.
Secretary, Sanskrit Education, Deepak Kumar today paid a courtesy visit on Acting Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Yudho Sasongko, at the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi. During the meeting, the two sides held detailed discussions on enhancing the academic and the cultural collaboration between Uttarakhand and Indonesia for the global promotion of Sanskrit and the Indian knowledge tradition.
Deepak Kumar apprised the Acting Ambassador of the Uttarakhand Government’s decision to accord Sanskrit the status of the state’s second official language and highlighted the innovative initiatives being undertaken for the preservation, promotion and wider dissemination of the ancient language. He stated that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is personally committed to securing greater global recognition for Sanskrit, regarded as the Devavani or divine language.
Kumar said that under the guidance of the CM, Sanskrit, recognised as one of the world’s oldest and most influential languages, is steadily expanding its presence beyond India’s borders and gaining increasing recognition among international scholars and academic institutions. He further stated that one Sanskrit Village has been established in every district of Uttarakhand. Within just a year, these Sanskrit Villages have made noteworthy progress in encouraging local communities to learn Sanskrit while reconnecting them with India’s philosophical, cultural and civilisational heritage.
Deepak Kumar also said that the process for constituting the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Commission has already begun. Suggestions from across the country have been invited in this regard and are proposed to be submitted to Uttarakhand Sanskrit University by 10 August, ahead of World Sanskrit Day. He expressed confidence that the collaboration with Indonesian educational and cultural institutions would significantly expand the reach of Sanskrit and the Indian knowledge tradition, while enabling the youth of both countries to gain a deeper understanding of their shared cultural heritage, ethical values and ancient civilisational ties.
Referring to the historical links between the two nations, Kumar reminded that the Indonesian language continues to retain a large number of words derived from Sanskrit, reflecting the centuries-old cultural and civilisational relationship between India and Indonesia. He noted that, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Indonesia last month, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had observed that nearly 50 percent of the Indonesian language has been influenced by Sanskrit. According to him, this is a powerful testimony to the deep-rooted cultural affinity shared by the two countries.
During the meeting, Deepak Kumar proposed that, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Uttarakhand Sanskrit University and Uttarakhand Sanskrit Sansthanam can enter into Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Indonesian universities and other academic institutions to promote cooperation in the fields of Sanskrit, the Indian Knowledge System and cultural studies. Such collaborations, he said, would further strengthen academic exchanges and contribute to the global dissemination of India’s rich linguistic and intellectual heritage.
