BJP chief claims English bad for India, triggers outrage

[ranjeet]

The situation you describe may be true for south India, especially Tamil Nadu, but it is rather different in the North. Practice of Hawanas and pujas at home is quite common in the better well off families and this keeps us tied to Sanskrit. In a way, as English is a language for secular specialization, Sanskrit is for the spiritual areas. Chanting of Gayatri Mantra and other hymns is common and encouraged.

The Tamil Nadu situation is rather unique and cannot be generalised for the entire country.

Man in North India ... not talking about Bihar and UP but Haryana ... the second language we learn is Sanskrit ... and a huge part of our haryanvi population follows Sanatan Dharm. So we don't need Brahmins to perfrom our hawans and puja .. all we need is a booklet and we can read through it. If not the booklet then obviously Gaytri mantar is always there !!!

 

[Indianpatriot1]

Man in North India ... not talking about Bihar and UP but Haryana ... the second language we learn is Sanskrit ... and a huge part of our haryanvi population follows Sanatan Dharm. So we don't need Brahmins to perfrom our hawans and puja .. all we need is a booklet and we can read through it. If not the booklet then obviously Gaytri mantar is always there !!!

You are right... especially in all areas with Arya Samaj influence, Delhi included.

In any case, worship is much more democratic in the North and Brahmin pujaris are desirable but optional intermediaries. One can go to the Garbhgrha of any temple and touch the deity. If you want the Pundit to say a few mantras for you, fine - otherwise do it yourself.

Down south, you have to keep well away from the Garbh Griha and Puja can only be done by a priest for you.

 

[ranjeet]

You are right... especially in all areas with Arya Samaj influence, Delhi included.

In any case, worship is much more democratic in the North and Brahmin pujaris are desirable but optional intermediaries. One can go to the Garbhgrha of any temple and touch the deity. If you want the Pundit to say a few mantras for you, fine - otherwise do it yourself.

Down south, you have to keep well away from the Garbh Griha and Puja can only be done by a priest for you.

Well it's all about shaardha man, tell me why people go to Char dham yatra ??? it's a way priest back in the days coined a way to mint more money from simpletons.

 

[Indianpatriot1]

Well it's all about shaardha man, tell me why people go to Char dham yatra ??? it's a way priest back in the days coined a way to mint more money from simpletons.

Well I for one won't put it so simply. The greed component of course increases over time after a pilgrimage is famous. But then what is the point of having Shri Kedarnath is a difficult place which few people could access in the older days. If you want business, you build a shop in a bustling market, not the top of a remote hill.

 

[ranjeet]

Well I for one won't put it so simply. The greed component of course increases over time after a pilgrimage is famous. But then what is the point of having Shri Kedarnath is a difficult place which few people could access in the older days. If you want business, you build a shop in a bustling market, not the top of a remote hill.

Totally agree with you on that part and other things in previous posts as well I don't know why I am agruing with you ... but it's just that I find this whole thing a sham. Kedarnath pe kya shakshaat bagwan baithe hai.

 

[Rocky25]

And you are the typical example of the misfortune which befalls upon a country for conducting its affairs in a foreign language.

I see you were banned, Sorry about that... India was hell bent upon forcing Hindi on non-Hindi speaking population in 1950's and 60's... Thank god they were failed in their evil designs... Now-a-days I see even many Hindi speaking Telugu's and Kannadigas getting angry so much when Hindi was used as a means of communication in their native place... Which was naturally correct....

As a Citizen of India, I am happy to learn Sanskrit and wish my children to be fluent in Sanskrit. The fact of the matter is... English had got dissolved into our lives... It is NO more a foreign language.

So mobile phones only work in english and no other languages ?

I have seen some basic phones with Hindi, Kannada, Telugu as mobile phone languages! So the mission is accomplished!

 

[Rocky25]

Sanskrit is also the language in which Kalidasa wrote the stories of Shankuntala and poems of desire and love. I have posted a sanskrit translation of the play Kumārasambhava.


Still sat Umā though scorched by various flame
Of solar fire and fires of kindled birth,
Until at summer's end the waters came.
Steam rose from her body as it rose from earth.

With momentary pause the first drops rest
Upon her lash then strike her nether lip,
Fracture upon the highland of her breast,
Across the ladder of her waist then trip
And slowly at her navel come to rest.

You got me wrong, I am never ever against Sanskrit.... I love the language, I felt sorry for NOT choosing that language in my +2... Atleast I could have learned ABCD of Sanskrit... It is NOT mistake at all! It is the politicians mistake!

Sanskrit is/was not limited to religious texts. Great literature by Shudraka, Bhasa and Asvaghosa were also written in sanskrit.

Fair enough... for one long millennium, India was NOT ruled by Hindus.... The importance of the language gradually degraded... It cannot be reclaimed in 65 years.... Let Government pass a rule that there should be 3 languages should be taught... English, the mother tongue of the state and Sanskrit... I would welcome the move.

Books on medicine, astrology, mathematics, politics, social science and economics were written in sanskrit. Kindly do not trivialize the TONS of literature available in Sanskrit.

It was written... I am NOT degrading you argument... but when? There was nobody who did improved on that with additional research! Last but NOT least, I am NOT against Sanskrit!

OMG,so they are marginalized by mainstream society in the information age. in my country even people who had never go to school have no problem reading or writing

India is different buddy! So you should know before you speak about India... Oh I forgot... you were that group!

 

[jamal18]

OMG,so they are marginalized by mainstream society in the information age. in my country even people who had never go to school have no problem reading or writing

YES!

See how much they have dis-empowered their own people!

They call this progress, surrender of their language and making their own people 'ignorant'.

Apparently English is not a foreign language anymore!

They call it English because it is the language of the English people, not yours.

 

[Mritunjaya]

YES!

See how much they have dis-empowered their own people!

They call this progress, surrender of their language and making their own people 'ignorant'.

Apparently English is not a foreign language anymore!

They call it English because it is the language of the English people, not yours.

........this from somebody who is practicing the religion of another nation, completely changed your culture to adapt the culture of of a foreign nation, changed you name to match the names of arabs, took up the foreign nations scrip and have used it as you own. ................................ah the sweet Irony

Your name 'JAMAL' itself is arabic for 'beauty' .................apparently arabic is not foreign anymore......only English is.
...........but wait...I guess you are an arab settled in pakistan ........or was it your 'ancestors' ?

 

[kurup]

........this from somebody who is practicing the religion of another nation, completely changed your culture to adapt the culture of of a foreign nation, changed you name to match the names of arabs, took up the foreign nations scrip and have used it as you own. ................................ah the sweet Irony

Your name 'JAMAL' itself is arabic for 'beauty' .................apparently arabic is not foreign anymore......only English is.
...........but wait...I guess you are an arab settled in pakistan ........or was it your 'ancestors' ?

Epic ..... You owned him ......

 

[jamal18]

........this from somebody who is practicing the religion of another nation, completely changed your culture to adapt the culture of of a foreign nation, changed you name to match the names of arabs, took up the foreign nations scrip and have used it as you own. ................................ah the sweet Irony

Your name 'JAMAL' itself is arabic for 'beauty' .................apparently arabic is not foreign anymore......only English is.
...........but wait...I guess you are an arab settled in pakistan ........or was it your 'ancestors' ?

Yes, the irony.

Now answer the question?

 

[wolfpack]

I took up sanskrit instead of french or german in 10+2,Mother tongue should be given importance first and sanskrit can be used as a medium for communication all over India, it might take some time for this to get going as less people take up sanskrit study, for this to happen Sanskrit must be made compulsory for everyone along with mother tongue.Once this is implemented you can gradually wean out english if you want.

 

[audi]

If Hindi is too politically sensitive, then why not Sanskrit? It is shocking that there are only 14,000 Indians who can write Sanskrit.

Sanskrit is kind of like Latin for Europeans. Many European languages like English/French/German have Latin roots, but there are very few people that can actually speak Latin today. Same with Sanskrit, 80%of Indian languages evolved and use a Sanskrit base.

 

[patentneer]

Fascinating read.

I'm Canadian and language politics is big around here.

However, on a personal note, many Indians from India and other countries like Africa, EU and Middle-East speak good English and create an English speaking image of India. And there are lots of 1'st, even 2'nd gen. Indo-Canadian's who's English is above par. Same in the UK, US and Oz and other English speaking world.

Inversely, Pakistan and Bangladesh politicians managed to politicise language to the extent that today's Pakistanis and specially Bangladeshis are non-English speaking and are marginalised in the larger English speaking society.

I find it interesting that the same people, with similar heritage and history if not DNA have ended up in such dissimilar verticals in Canada, and the world at large through language politics.

I'm not debating right or wrong, all I can see is English has enabled S. Asians to integrate in Canada with a little less difficulty then perhaps others with a strong language barrier. Silly to wantonly lose a spontaneous and powerful tool like English when everyone else seems to be picking it up and which also enables Global connectivity, empowerment, immigration, education, finance, entertainment, cricket ... what have you. It's not practical, won't work in India.

 

[RangerPK]

Speaking at a function here on Thursday, Singh had said, "The English language has caused a great loss to the country. We are losing our language, our culture as there are hardly any people who speak Sanskrit now."

BJP chief claims English bad for India, triggers outrage - The Times of India

Given the quality of English Indians speak,you would think they are speaking Sanskrit instead of English...