Siksha

गत शनिवारॆ मम भारत दॆश चरित्रं प्रति ऎक: फॊटो सहित जाल -पत्रम् आयात: । तस्मिन् लिखितमासीत् यत् – प्रारम्भ कालॆ विदॆश शासका: भारत दॆशस्य उन्नतिं घटयितुं उद्धुक्ता: आसन् । तत्र किं कर्तव्यमिति अन्वॆषणाय ऎकॊ महानुभाव: प्रस्थित:-  तस्य सर्वप्रथम लक्ष्यं भारतीय परंपरागत  शिक्षा प्रणालीं  आमूलं नाशयितव्य: इति । वॆ सफला: आसन् इति वयं अत्त्रत्य भारतीय शिक्षाया: दशां दृष्ट्वा कथयिष्याम: । किन्तु भगवत: कालचक्रं चलत्यॆव –
यत् स्वदॆश संस्कृतिं नाशयितुं प्रवृत्ता: – तस्या: भाषा ग्ञानं अल्पमिति घॊषित्वा लॊकान् लॊभॆन, निर्बन्धॆन वा अन्य भाषा, अन्य संस्कृति इति प्रजानां
बद्धिं कलुषीकृत्य पाश्चात्य संस्कृतिरॆव विशिष्टा इति मन्यमाना: स्व कुलाचारं त्यक्त्वा आंग्लॆय भाषायां शिक्शा, तस्यामॆव पाण्डित्यं इति आत्मानं परिवर्तिता: तॆ अध्यापि ईश्वरानुग्रहॆण विदॆशॆ कार्य निमित्तमागता: स्व धर्मं, ईस्वरस्मरणं इति भारतीया: ऎव वर्तन्ते । तत्रापि संस्कृत भाषायां अत्यन्त उत्सुका: इति दृष्ट्वा वयं आश्वासिता: तुष्टा: च: ।
किमर्थं ऎतद् पूर्वपीठिका इति पृच्छसि चॆत्, वदामि – अस्मद् मित्रभूता ऎका अमेरिका दॆशवासी – स्व उद्ध्यॊग निमित्तं भारतं गमिष्यति । सा अपृच्छ्त् – भारत दॆशॆ प्रसिद्ध भाषा संस्कृतम् इति श्रुतं – किं अहमपि संस्कृत भाषायां व्यवहर्तुं शिक्षणीयमिति ।

Last Saturday we got a message by email with photos of how in the early days, when the British dominated the country, common people never bothered, they were as usual pursuing their rituals and education. (see image) Lord Mccaulay found that education system of our ancestors was the best. It made them great in mind and spirit though simple in their life. They led a contented life – no beggars or thieves.  So, Lord Mccaulay thought how could the indian people be humbled.  The best way to subdue them was to destroy their education. And they did succeed – We can see that from todays’ education system, now-a-days it is all the more visible. People were made to think high of English and the culture of its land of origin. They were made to believe that only the study of English could bring prosperity. Indians mastered the English language. But by God’s grace once they got well educated and went out of India for their career and settled down in foreign lands. Still,  they happened to be Bharatheeyas in mind. They hold classes for learning the good old Sanskrit language, build temples and conduct poojas as in their motherland, perhaps with more devotion.
You may ask why this preamble – I am coming to the point – One of our daughter in law’s friends, an american lady is going to Chennai – she got the official posting there as manager of their company. She asked us about life in India. She said that she had heard very highly of the Sanskrit language and she knew that classes are held by Indians in many places in America. She asked ” should I learn and become proficient in this language to move with people in India?”