Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Altered Destinations
- 1 Self, Society and Nation: Indian Notions of Responsibility
- 2 1857: The Religious Roots of Indian Anti-Imperialism
- 3 Indian Alternations: Aurobindo, Ambedkar and After
- 4 Interrogating Indian Post-Nationalism: Culture, Citizenship and Global Futures
- 5 Hindi Hain Hum: An Account of a Vibhashi's Romance with the National Language
- 6 The Case for Sanskrit as India's National Language
- 7 National Education? Problems and Prospects
- 8 Regaining the Indian Eye
- 9 Secularism vs. Hindu Nationalism: Interrogating the Terms of the Debate
- 10 Plurality, Tolerance and Religious Conflict in India
- 11 Towards a Common Future? An Indo-Pakistani Story
- 12 The Availability of Mahatma Gandhi: Towards a Neo-Gandhian Praxis
- Notes
- Works Cited
6 - The Case for Sanskrit as India's National Language
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Altered Destinations
- 1 Self, Society and Nation: Indian Notions of Responsibility
- 2 1857: The Religious Roots of Indian Anti-Imperialism
- 3 Indian Alternations: Aurobindo, Ambedkar and After
- 4 Interrogating Indian Post-Nationalism: Culture, Citizenship and Global Futures
- 5 Hindi Hain Hum: An Account of a Vibhashi's Romance with the National Language
- 6 The Case for Sanskrit as India's National Language
- 7 National Education? Problems and Prospects
- 8 Regaining the Indian Eye
- 9 Secularism vs. Hindu Nationalism: Interrogating the Terms of the Debate
- 10 Plurality, Tolerance and Religious Conflict in India
- 11 Towards a Common Future? An Indo-Pakistani Story
- 12 The Availability of Mahatma Gandhi: Towards a Neo-Gandhian Praxis
- Notes
- Works Cited
Summary
Sanskrit is the thread on which the pearls of the necklace of Indian culture are strung; break the thread and all the pearls will be scattered, even lost forever.
—Dr Lokesh ChandraIntroduction
It was from my friends in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry that I first heard that the Mother wanted Sanskrit to be made the national language of India. Indeed, Sanskrit is taught from childhood not only in the ashram schools, but also at Auroville, the community that the Mother founded. On 11 November 1967, the Mother said, ‘Sanskrit! Everyone should learn that. Especially everyone who works here should learn that…’ (Mother 1967).
Because some degree of confusion persisted over the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's views on the topic, a more direct question was put to the former on 4 October 1971:
On certain issues where You and Sri Aurobindo have given direct answers, we [Sri Aurobindo's Action] are also specific, as for instance… on the language issue where You have said for the country that (1) the regional language should be the medium of instruction, (2) Sanskrit should be the national language, and (3) English should be the international language.
Are we correct in giving these replies to such questions?
Yes. Blessings.
When asked by a disciple on what basis she had said that Sanskrit should be the national language of India, the Mother replied, ‘I said Sanskrit because Sri Aurobindo had told me so’.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Altered DestinationsSelf, Society, and Nation in India, pp. 91 - 110Publisher: Anthem PressPrint publication year: 2009