<div dir="ltr"><div><h1 class="">Saffron group behind the 'No German' row moves to next target: private schools</h1></div><div class=""><ul class=""><li><div class=""><img src="http://s1.firstpost.in/fpimages/50x37/fixed/jpg/2014/11/india-china-flags-afp.jpg" alt="India, China to hold joint army exercise on counter-terrorism in Pune on 16 November" style="width: 50px; height: 37px;"></div><div class=""><p class=""><br></p></div></li><li><div class=""><img src="http://s1.firstpost.in/fpimages/50x37/fixed/jpg/2014/11/AndhraBhavan_Zomato.jpg" alt="Delhi: New Andhra Bhavan to have multiple restaurants, service apartments" style="width: 50px; height: 37px;"></div><div class=""><p class=""><br></p></div></li></ul><div class="">related videos</div><ul class=""><li><div class=""><img src="http://s1.firstpost.in/fpimages/50x37/fixed/jpg/2012/01/PHARMA-REUTERS.jpg" alt="PE funds go niche, likely to chase small R&D firms in pharma this year" style="width: 50px; height: 37px;"></div><div class=""><p class=""><br></p></div></li><li><div class=""><img src="http://s1.firstpost.in/fpimages/50x37/fixed/jpg/2012/07/HIV-india.jpg" alt="Now, pop a pill to prevent HIV?" style="width: 50px; height: 37px;"></div><br></li></ul></div> <div class=""><div class=""><p class=""><span class="">by <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/author/fp-staff" style="font:bold 12px arial">FP Staff</a></span> Nov 21, 2014 09:28 IST</p><p class=""> <br></p></div></div><p>After
persuading the government to prohibit the teaching of German in
Kendriya Vidyalaya schools, the Sanskrit Shikshak Sangh (SSS)
organisation that initially filed the petition against policy in the
Delhi High Court, plans to extend the mandatory imposition of Sanskrit
as a third language to other schools as well.</p><p>The SSS, which is a
body of Sanskrit teachers and scholars, had moved the Delhi High Court
against the Kendriya Vidyalaya's decision to teach German as a third
language.</p><p>If <a href="http://www.sanskritshikshaksangh.com/">you look at the group's website</a>,
they says that the association has "been striving hard for promotion,
advocacy and protection of Sanskrit and securing the interest of
Sanskrit teachers and students since September, 2009."</p><p>The group
claims that previously they have ensured the inclusion of Sanskrit in
Central Teachers Eligibility Test (CTET), Haryana Teachers Eligibility
Test (HTET), Uttar Pradesh Teachers Eligibility Test (UPTET) etc.</p><p>According to a report in the <em><a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/group-that-went-after-kvs-over-german-to-target-pvt-schools-now/99/">Indian Express</a></em>
the group's president D K Jha told the Indian Express, “Our next step
will be to ensure all other schools — government aided, unaided, public,
private — also follow our education policy and three language formula,
and drop foreign languages as the third language. They have to teach
Sanskrit or any modern Indian language instead. They will hopefully do
it on their own now."</p><p>He added that if schools did not introduce
Sanskrit, then the SSS would write to the PM and the HRD minister Smriti
Irani and also go to court.</p><div id="attachment_1030393" style="width:390px" class=""><img style="display: inline;" class="" src="http://s1.firstpost.in/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Schoolchildren_AFP_22May.jpg" alt="Representational image of students. AFP" height="285" width="380"><p style="width:370px" class="">Representational image of students. AFP</p></div><p>In <a href="http://zeenews.india.com/news/delhi/row-over-sanskrit-language-hc-asks-kvs-to-respond-to-pil_946335.html">their petition to the Delhi High Court</a>,
the group had argued, "The action of the respondents (KVS and CBSE)
would cause irreparable damage to Sanskrit language and Indian culture
and as a result, the next generation would not learn Sanskrit and hardly
have any knowledge of Sanskrit and the rich ancient Indian culture.”</p><p>They
also said that the decision was "in violation of the various provisions
of the Constitution of India as also violation of the various Supreme
Court judgements." The group was also miffed at the fact that Sanskrit
teachers were to be given training in German and had said in the
complaint that "foreign languages viz. German, French, Spanish, Russian
and Chinese language are being promoted at the cost of Sanskrit."</p><p>SSS
has ambitious plans when it comes to implementing its Sanskrit as it
wants the learning of the subject to be extended beyond schools and even
into "courses like engineering, MBA, etc."</p><p>According to Jha,
learning Sanskrit has many benefits, and he told the paper that those
who learn the language "never commits suicide because of the values the
subject inculcates in them." He said while other languages intend to
make money, Sanskrit teachers "people to earn fame and respect."</p><p>Jha also said that his group had protested to the government when "Navodaya Vidyalayas" offered Urdu instead of Sanskrit<br> and had written to the HRD ministry against this practice.</p><p>The
SSS also has support from another Sanskrit organisation, the Sanskrit
Bharati, which is run by Dinesh Kamath, an old RSS pracharak. According
to the <em><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Now-saffron-outfit-wants-CBSE-schools-to-drop-foreign-languages/articleshow/45223863.cms">Times of India</a></em> Sanskrit Bharati wants to implement Sanskrit as third language in all CBSE schools till class XII.</p><p>Kamath told <em>TOI</em>,
"How can you be Indian without knowing Sanskrit?" He also discussed
about a book that the group has published called 'Science in Sanskrit.'
Essentially it reads similar to Dinanath Batra's books; like Batra's
books, the Sanskrit Bharati's book talk about "test tube babies, ships,
aeroplanes and plastic surgery among other things in ancient India."</p><p>However Kamath chose not to comment on "PM <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/topic/person/narendra-modi-profile-20711.html" title="Narendra Modi" target="_blank" class="">Narendra Modi</a>'s statement that Ganesha's elephant-head was a surgical feat", notes the report.</p><p>Kamath
meanwhile isn't just for Sanskrit, he's for a purity of Indian
languages and wants to get rid of all the Persian and Urdu words.
'Shuddh Hindi' is an agenda that has been forwarded by many RSS-groups.
Kamath told TOI that he is unhappy that "words like darwaza (door) and
akhbaar (newspaper)" are used in daily context.</p><p>The RSS-pracharak
also said that, "A stereotype has been created about Sanskrit, of being
inaccessible, tough and religious. Only five per cent of Sanskrit
literature is about Vedas and other texts. Rest is all about physics,
chemistry, astrology, astronomy and yoga. Sanskrit is a treasure of
knowledge."</p><p>Where the whole Sanskrit vs German controversy is concerned, <em>Firstpost</em> Editor-in-chief R Jagannathan had <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/india/smriti-iranis-isnt-entirely-wrong-teaching-german-is-against-national-education-policy-1806301.html">pointed out in this article</a>,that
while Irani was indeed right in getting German off the table since it
violates the National Education Policy,( the three language policy calls
for Hindi, English and the regional language of the state or a modern
Indian language to be taught), Sanskrit can't be forced on students.</p><p>He
wrote, "Sanskrit cannot be popularised by shoving it down people’s
throats for the simple reason that people choose languages partly for
their utility in the job market, and Sanskrit currently does not have
that utility."</p><p>Also as <em>Firstpost</em> Editor G Pramod Kumar noted <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/india/sanskrit-not-german-smriti-iranis-hindutva-agenda-harms-kv-students-1802783.html">in this piece</a>, even if one were to go by the three-language policy, why only "choose Sanskrit and why not Tamil or Telugu."</p><p>He
wrote, "The three language policy itself is flawed. Why should children
in non-Hindi states compulsorily learn Hindi? This has been a question
that politicians and people in states such as Tamil Nadu have been
asking. Let learning languages be voluntary."</p><p>Third language
controversy aside, the fact is that both the SSS and Sanskrit Bharati
aren't just pushing for Sanskrit-learning, they are pushing for language
'purity,' and of a specifically saffron hue.</p><p><a href="http://www.firstpost.com/living/saffron-group-behind-the-no-german-row-moves-to-next-target-private-schools-1814467.html">http://www.firstpost.com/living/saffron-group-behind-the-no-german-row-moves-to-next-target-private-schools-1814467.html</a><br></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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