Sanskrit as Official Language

M. SIVAKAMAYYA
Principal, Andhra Jateeya Kalasala, Machilipatnam

India has been, from times immemorial, a land of many races, languages and religions, where tolerance of differences, sympathetic understanding of alien cultural elements, and assimilation and synthesis were attempted, and a common culture characterised by a search for unity in essentials with diversity informs and details, was evolved, and maintained and developed, through the ages. It enabled the nation, even in very ancient times, to reach glorious heights of material progress and prosperity, cultural eminence and a rich spiritual tradition, and to occupy a place of honour among the nations of the world, and play a leading part in the progress of human civilisation.

This ancient Indian culture was enshrined in the Sanskrit language, parent of many of the languages now prevailing indifferent parts of the country, from which even the others which do not belong to the same family have also borrowed freely, and copiously, and thus the source of strength and sustenance of all. It was the store-house of all the achievements of the people of the various parts of the country, in arts and sciences, literature and philosophy, traditions and ideals. It was for long stretches of time, and over large parts of the country, sometimes over the whole country, the official language of administration and the link language of the intellectuals who belonged to the different language regions, the language of all their secular literature as well as religious scriptures. It was never the exclusive possession
of anyone region, religion or class, but the common property and inheritance of all, to which the people of all the regions, languages, religions and classes contributed considerably from time to time. It was the national language in the true sense of the term and the national psyche was embodied in it.

The numerous foreign invasions and conquests, in the ancient period of the history of our land, did not affect the integrity and continuity of this culture, or the position and prestige of the Sanskrit language in which it was enshrined. Even during the medieval period of Muslim conquest and domination, when, over a large part of the country, Persian was the language of the courts and the administration, and hence popular with the nobility and the official classes, the prestige and status of Sanskrit did not suffer in any remarkable measure. It did not cease to be the link language for intellectual commerce and the language of the common culture of the people of the different parts of the country. But in the modern period, however, when the nation was under the British Government, the dominant position accorded to the English language, the language of the ruling race, as the language of administration, and the medium of instruction in educational institutions, damaged its prestige and reduced its popularity and prominence considerably. English language became, to the ambitious youth of the country, the gateway to lucrative employment, material prosperity and social prestige, as well as the means for acquiring knowledge of modern science and technology, and imbibing modern concepts of democracy, liberty, equality and justice. It introduced them to a new and altogether alien civilisation, with its own glamour as well as merits, fascinated them and ultimately enslaved them.

Sanskrit was dethroned as it were and English usurped its place of prestige. The nation was subjected to a process of cultural conquest and enslavement, lost its native moorings, and the natural springs of its strength, vigour and vitality, deteriorated in every direction, material, cultural and moral as well as political. Along with the prestige and vogue of the national language, the national culture was also damaged and eliminated. The soul of the nation was stifled and the nation degenerated and decayed.

During the period of the national struggle for political freedom, our leaders realised, resented, and protested against, the damage suffered by the nation on account of the unnatural position of prominence occupied by the English language in the administrative and educational systems of the country, and heroic attempts were made, along with the attempts to wrest political power from the rulers, to revive the national soul, by encouraging the use and growth of the national languages and literatures of the people of the different regions, as well as their indigenous arts and crafts, traditions and ideals. The need for a national link language was also realised for inter-regional co-operation and co-ordination of the common endeavour; and Hindi, which was among the national languages, the one spoken by the largest number of people, some variant or other of which was spoken and understood over a large part of the country, was selected for that role of honour. A great effort was made to spread a knowledge of it in the non-Hindi regions also and to replace the English language by it in inter-regional correspondence and conferences.

When political independence was achieved and a Constitution was framed for Free India, Hindi was therefore declared the Official Language of the Union Government; but even then its limitations for the function were fully realised, a period of transition was contemplated, various steps for popularising it in the non-Hindi regions, for enriching it and developing it and effecting a smooth transition, were provided for. The importance of the other regional languages was also recognised; they were all declared national languages, and the future official languages of the State Governments in their respective regions. The importance of Sanskrit, the language of the common national culture, was also recognised;  it was included in the list of national languages enumerated in the 8th Schedule, and it was specifically laid down that Hindi, the future Official Language of the Union Government, should be developed to qualify for its role of honour by drawing largely upon the other national languages, and especially Sanskrit, the parent language of most of them.

But as the time fixed in the Constitution for the change-over approached, and steps began to be taken for effecting the transition, defects and difficulties in the proposed arrangement came to be revealed. The fitness of Hindi, in its present condition, in no way more developed than most of the other regional languages, to replace English as the official language of the Union, as the link language for inter-State relations, and as the medium of instruction in higher education all over the country, was questioned; the need for recognising and ensuring in the present, and for a considerable time to come, an important place for English in the educational system and in the national life of the country, for spreading among the people modern knowledge, especially in Science and Technology, and achieving an adequate measure of success in the plans of economic and social development 4lndertaken, came to be realised with increasing urgency; and the danger, in case a hasty attempt were made to replace English by Hindi, of a steep fall in the standards of educational attainment and administrative efficiency, felt to be already at a deplorably low level, came to be feared. Moreover, the adoption of the democratic forms and processes of government and the execution of gigantic plans of economic development and industrialisation through the application of modern science and technology, before the national soul had been fully recovered from its torpor during centuries of foreign domination, before the national culture had been revived after the consequent decay, and before the process of national integration had been completed, encouraged narrow, material, sectional and regional interests in the people, their representatives in the legislatures, and even the leaders in public life, and forces of moral deterioration and national disintegration began to manifest themselves. Differences arose, and intolerance grew to alarming proportions, over the official language issue as over several others; motives were suspected and attributed, extreme views were advocated, and unconstitutional methods resorted to, and vested interests developed, for a rapid and high-handed change-over on one side, and for permanent retention of the status quo on the other, and the country is now faced with a formidable internal crisis over this issue, at a time when it is threatened with the danger of aggression on the frontiers by powerful enemies. Bitter feelings have been roused between the advocates of English and Hindi for the role of the official language of the Union and the medium of higher education, and the chances of a compromise or reconciliation of differences seem to be remote. The imposition of Hindi as the official language of the Union, against the wishes of a large section of the people, is repugnant to the democratic spirit of the times, and will not be tolerated by the people of the non-Hindi regions; and the retention of English in its present unnatural position of dominance, for ever, as a permanent feature of the national life, is equally repugnant to the national sentiment. Assurances are not likely to inspire confidence, and every step which has to be taken for effecting a transition, is likely to be exploited by one party and opposed and resented by the other party.

To avoid such differences, disputes and conflicts and dis-integrating tendencies; to promote the cause of national culture and thereby contribute to national unity which has always been based on a common and distinctive culture; to revive the national spirit and to recover the soul of the nation, and release the springs of national strength and vitality; to set the nation on the path of real progress and prosperity, growth and development, in accordance with its native genius; to ensure, in course of time, the realisation of the national destiny and the national contribution to modern civilisation, and save humanity from the crisis with which it is faced now, by an assertion of our national ideals of spirituality, unity, tolerance and peace, the language of our national culture has to be restored to its rightful place in the national life. Sanskrit should be the official language of the Union Government and the link language for inter-State relations and the medium of instruction in higher education. The regional languages should be the official languages in the states and media of instruction at the secondary stage. The regional languages will all derive strength and sustenance and grow to their full stature by such an arrangement. The common people will be able to keep themselves in touch with, and enjoy equal opportunities of an equitable share in, the administration; no particular regional or linguistic section will enjoy any position of undue prestige or privilege; the wound to the national prestige willbe healed, and the national spirit revived, and national culture will be re-established and enabled to flourish and strengthen the nation, English will continue in its present position till it is replaced by Sanskrit. A definite date can be set for the change-over and steps for effecting the transition without any inconvenience can be planned andcarried out according to a prescribed time schedule. Sanskrit should replace Hindi in the three language formula now adopted, so that all over the country, three languages, the regional language, the national language, Sanskrit, and the international language will be compulsorily studied; the transition can be planned to be completed within the period of the educational process of one generation and the period of the employment career of one generation. The transition may take a long time but it will be worth while, and meanwhile, there will be growth in unity and strength.

Sanskrit is eminently qualified for the place of honour. It is one of the most ancient languages in the world, perfect, precise and scientific. It is the store-house of the culture and civilisation of Greater India, a vehicle of Eurasian culture and a link between many of the Eurasian languages for over five thousand years. It has already to its credit a vast and rich literature covering various branches of knowledge, in arts, sciences, philosophy and religion. Many invaluable treasures of knowledge and cu1ture, preserved in the language, have yet to see the light of day and be brought into contact and intercourse with modern knowledge, so that they might contribute effectively to the common stock of knowledge of the human race. A revival of the prestige of the language in the country, and consequently in the international sphere, can thus contribute effectively to the progress of human civilisation. It has a rich vocabulary, and vast potentialities for increasing it and developing it, to serve as a vehicle of modern thought, and medium of higher education in modern times.

Only a few misapprehensions are likely to prevail in certain sections of the people: one, that it is a difficult language and is likely to remain beyond the reach of the common people; and the other, that its ascendancy has been, and will be, used by the learned and priestly classes to exploit the masses, and lastly the revival of its vogue may lead to reaction and obscurantism. The objections are really weighty and have to be faced and answered. It is unquestionable that in a democratic and secular State, the official language of administration should be within easy reach of at least a reasonable proportion of the common people and that it should not be such as to lead to the emergence of a priestly or privileged class and exploitation of the masses. But the use of the arguments by way of objections to Sanskrit can be easily answered. It should not be beyond the ingenuity of the intellectuals of the nation to attempt considerable simplification of the language and the methods of learning and teaching it, to the extent necessary for using it for communication in the ordinary transactions of life and affairs of public interest and administration, so that it may be accessible to an adequate proportion of the population. Experiments with the language, in this direction, have been made from time to time and can be encouraged and attempted more systematically, if need be. The language of administration at the State level will be the regional language only, and the regional languages will all be uniformly, and more, akin to the official language of the Union Government, if Sanskirt occupies the place, than if it is English or any one of the regional languages.

“It may be disputed whether the language and the literature in it have ever been the exclusive possession or monopoly of the priestly classes in the past, and have been responsible for any exploitation and superstition; but even conceding for the sake of argument, that it had been the case in the past, there can be no reason to fear any such development in the future, as we have adopted a democratic form of government, a secular conception of the State, and a socialistic pattern of life as our goal. On the other hand, even to fight reaction, obscurantism and superstition among the people, and their exploitation by the learned and intellectual classes of the old, or a new, type, education has to spread among the masses. A revival of the prestige and importance of Sanskrit, a spread of the knowledge of the national language of our ancient culture, in which our religious scriptures are all preserved, will help a rational understanding and fruitful application of religious teachings and observance of religious rituals, customs and traditions, with the necessary modifications to suit the changing circumstances of modern times, and to subserve the original purposes and functions behind them, so that the fundamentals of our glorious ancient culture, which everyone professes to value and revere, may be preserved from blind conservatism and superstition on the one hand, and equally blind contempt and rejection, out of ignorance of the significance of our scriptures, rituals, aims and traditions and a craving for blind imitation of alien conventions and customs on the other; and no class or community can be said to enjoy any natural advantage or preferential facilities or special aptitude for learning the language. Among the students of the language in our educational institutions at present, of the general type or the oriental type, we find a fair representation of all castes and communities and a fair proportion of each exhibiting aptitude for it and proficiency in it, and there is no evidence of any danger of a monopoly of any kind emerging as a result of its use as the official language of the Union.

Thus the crisis with which the country is now faced over the official language issue may prove a blessing in disguise, if it should lead to a restoration of the language of our national culture to its rightful place and thereby to a true understanding of, and a revival of faith in, the fundamental values of our traditional culture, and an honest attempt to realise them in practice and derive strength and inspiration from them in building up our nation. A good deal of propaganda may be necessary to remove baseless misapprehensions and enlist the sympathies of the masses, for the glorious cause, to which there is bound to be an instinctive response from all sections of the people, if they are properly appealed to. It is up to the intelligentia of the land to take up the cause of Sanskrit, educate the public, and persuade our representatives in the legislatures and leaders of public opinion, to advocate the use of Sanskrit as the official language of the Central Government and the link language for inter-State transactions and medium of instruction in institutions of higher education. We have to suggest and urge the necessary action, to take steps immediately for providing for compulsory study of Sanskrit from the early stages of the educational system, the replacement of Hindi by Sanskrit in the accepted three language formula; the use of the regional language, in due course, as the medium of instruction at the secondary stage all over the country, and compulsory study of Sanskrit at that stage; ultimately the use of Sanskrit as the medium of instruction at the University level with due provision for the compulsory study of English or any other well developed modern language, to keep our intellectuals in touch with modern knowledge, especially in science and technology. We have to provide for the continuance of English as the official language at the Centre till it is replaced by Sanskrit, and fix a date for the change-over, and plan in detail, for the steps to be taken during the transition period, for ensuring a smooth change-over without any inconvenience to anyone section or linguistic group in the country, and any danger of deterioration in standards of academic attainments in our educational institutions or standards of efficiency in our administrative services.