Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 27 Oct: A special session dedicated to Sanskrit, the second official language of Uttarakhand, was held during the grand and globally renowned “Valley of Words” literary festival in Dehradun.
For the first time, this global platform of Valley of Words hosted a session devoted entirely to the promotion, preservation, and development of the Sanskrit language.
The discussion on Sanskrit featured Deepak Kumar Gairola, Secretary, Sanskrit Education, Uttarakhand, and Professor Sudha Rani Pandey, former Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Haridwar, as speakers. The session was chaired by Dr Indu Kumar Pandey, former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand.
Sanskrit Education Secretary Deepak Kumar Gairola highlighted the importance, timeless relevance, and global value of Sanskrit as Uttarakhand’s second official language. He also elaborated on various initiatives undertaken by the Government of Uttarakhand for the preservation, promotion, and expansion of Sanskrit education.
He noted that efforts are being made to create employment opportunities for Sanskrit learners even abroad, as demand for Sanskrit is rising globally. Emphasising the importance of learning a foreign language alongside Sanskrit, he said this would enable Sanskrit scholars to share India’s ancient scriptures and knowledge traditions with the world.
Gairola also detailed various scholarship schemes available for Sanskrit students and announced that a hostel facility for girl students will be established at Sanskrit University, Haridwar, from the next academic session—enabling parents from India and abroad to send their daughters to pursue Sanskrit studies in the holy city.
He further stated that one Sanskrit village is being developed in each district of Uttarakhand, and explained how introducing Science and Mathematics subjects at the Purva Madhyama and Uttar Madhyama levels will enable Sanskrit students to appear for competitive exams like JEE and NEET. He also mentioned upcoming initiatives such as research in mantra therapy and efforts to teach Sanskrit to students of minority communities.
In her address, Professor Sudha Rani Pandey said that Sanskrit is not merely a language of rituals but a vast field for literary and academic research. She remarked that Uttarakhand has been a historic centre of Sanskrit learning since ancient times. “Just as the Ganga flows from Uttarakhand to nourish the entire country,” she said, “so too can the stream of Sanskrit knowledge from this land guide the whole world.”
Presiding over the session, Dr Indu Kumar Pandey discussed the historical significance of Sanskrit and noted that the language is receiving growing recognition and importance today.
Dr Bharti Mishra also participated as a discussant in the session. The event began with a Vedic invocation by students of Gurukul Paudha, Dehradun.
The programme, which commenced at 3 p.m., was attended by Girish Kumar Awasthi (Registrar, Uttarakhand Sanskrit University), Dinesh Kumar (Deputy Registrar), Dr Prakash Chandra Pant (Head, Department of Education), Dr Vajashrava Arya (Assistant Director, Haridwar), Dr Naveen Pant, Dr Ram Bhushan Bijalwan, Dr Anand Mohan Joshi, Manoj Kumar Sharma, as well as students from Arsha Kanya Gurukul, Dehradun, and Guru Ram Rai Sanskrit School, among many other dignitaries and Sanskrit enthusiasts.
