Editor,
Soon after the recent release of the German edition of my research-based book -‘Great Minds on India,’ by Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma I was able to have conversations with many curious people. I just told them that I’m just one of the learners so far as the vastness of ancient wisdom is concerned. Some even persistently asked me to write on the Sanskrit language and how it bowled over the top European scholars. I really felt that I should take it head-on. Of course, the light of knowledge should not at all be the cause of fear!
It is because of the incredible richness of the Sanskrit language that a renowned linguist, Sir William Jones, who came to India as a judge, first translated Kalidasa’s Shakuntala from the original Sanskrit into English in 1789. There is a fascinating story concerning how this English scholarly gentleman learnt Sanskrit, which I will keep for a later date. This translation of Shakuntala by Sir Jones immediately stirred the minds and hearts of top European intellectuals that included Johann Goethe, Gottfried Herder, Friedrich Schiller, August Schlegel, Wilhelm von Humboldt etc. Deeply impressed by the language and its philosophical framework, the father of German literature – J. Goethe, was also inspired to learn Sanskrit. Later he was immersed in this ancient play Shakuntala for about thirty years. This is a fact he disclosed to many of his friends. He even wrote a poem praising this play. Again, another German scholar George Forster translated Kalidasa’s work into German in 1791. Within a few decades, “forty-six” translations were brought out in fourteen European languages. Just imagine how the Oriental became the subject of fascination for European geniuses.
Later the translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Charles Wilkin in 1784 and Upanishads by a French researcher Anquetil Duperron in 1801 again opened up “unprecedented vistas” for the philosophical regeneration hitherto “unknown” in European literature. The most celebrated German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer proclaimed, “Upanishads are the solace of my life and they will be the solace of my death. They are the product of the highest wisdom”. The universal wisdom of Vedanta, such as the ‘Oneness of the universe’, interdependence and interconnection of all entities and all particles, seemed very convincing to all those knowledge seekers from the West.
Again, one of the fathers of modern linguistics, Franz Bopp and a great philosopher Friedrich Schlegel, both from Germany, laid the “revolutionary foundation” of comparative linguistics by liberally borrowing from Panini’s Ashtadhyayi which was later further developed by the language geniuses like Ferdinand de Saussure, Leonard Bloomfield and Noam Chomsky. Panini’s work consists of about 3959 sutras that can handle the nuances and intricacies of any language in the universe.
Being astonished by the depth of the Sanskrit language, a renowned American linguist, Leonard Bloomfield, exclaims, “It was in India, however, that there arose a body of knowledge which was destined to revolutionize European ideas about language. Panini’s Grammar taught Europeans to analyze speech forms; when one compared the constituent parts, the resemblances, which hitherto had been vaguely recognized, could be set forth with certainty and precision.” Yes, here at home, we prefer to call Sanskrit a dead language but are quick to embrace German, Spanish and French when choosing to learn languages.
There are countless western scholars and scientists who have overwhelmingly acknowledged the exceptional richness of the Sanskrit language, wherein they saw an “immense scope” in the development of any area of study. Voltaire, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Emerson, Henry Thoreau, William Blake, Leo Tolstoy, TS Eliot, Niels Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Oppenheimer, Mark Twain, Carl Jung, J. D. Salinger, and others either learned Sanskrit or studied Sanskrit literature to strengthen their intellectual prowess. Frankly speaking, those people’s thoughts and opinions also became a source of inspiration to this writer as well.
One of the most outstanding modern scientists, Niels Bohr, once confided, “I go into the Upanishads to ask questions”. Bohr made unparalleled contributions to the studies of atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1922. TS Eliot never fell behind in praising the Sanskrit language. In one of his works, he burst in appreciation of the ancient texts: “Two years spent in the study of Sanskrit under Charles Lanman, and a year in the mazes of Patanjali’s metaphysics under the guidance of James Woods, left me in a state of enlightened mystification”. Patanjali’s Yoga sutra is a highway that takes you to the door of enlightenment. It says by practising yoga “alone,” one can feel that God and a human being is “not-different”.
Here are a few questions I wish to raise. Had all these acclaimed western writers and thinkers gone out of their minds to heap praises on Sanskrit and its literary treasure troves? I strongly believe that we need to sit and introspect. The light of knowledge should not be eclipsed by a load of prejudice. One feels that the dawn of a new day should inspire us to feel and appreciate the “sunshine” that helps nourish our minds and hearts.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Distressing Children’s Day memories
Editor,
Abolitionist leader and author Frederick Douglass in 1855, in a dialogue with white-slave owners about the immortality of slavery, wrote, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” The goal is to equip and empower our young people while they’re young so that when they become adults they’re in a better emotional, mental, spiritual, financial, and/or physical position than we are in today.
Every year, Children’s Day is celebrated across India on November 14. Jawaharlal Nehru was a great advocate for children’s rights and for an all-inclusive education system.
Children’s Day is a greatly anticipated day, as students look forward to seeing their teachers put up performances in schools for their entertainment. This is also the day when children are showered with a lot of love, gifts and pampering. Children’s Day this year, however, was observed slightly differently in Loreto Convent Shillong. We the parents were greeted in the morning by an SMS from the Principal of the School stating that Children’s Day was a celebration of childhood, innocence and happiness. But when our daughters returned from school at noon after the celebrations they were distraught and afraid. We were told that their phones were confiscated, bags were checked in their absence and what should have been a joyful day turned to something that would scar their minds forever.
Adolescent children are at a vulnerable and emotional age and such incidents can scar them for life. In 2011 a class 9 girl from the same school had lost her precious life when she jumped from the school building after the school authorities had confiscated her phone. We, the parents, have no objection to the school checking and disallowing phones during school days. However, during Children’s Day celebrations or any school event the children are eager to carry phones to school to record memories of the celebrations.
The school is maintaining a stoic silence and has not informed the parents about the incident. I request the school to kindly treat the children in a more humane manner.
Yours etc.,
An affected parent
(Name withheld on request)
Via email