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answer unhesitatingly - it is theSanskrit language and literature, andall that it contains. This is a magnificentinheritance, and so long as thisendures and influences the life of ourpeople, so long the basic genius ofIndia will continue.”However, the efforts and dreams ofthe Constitution framers could not befully realised even after over 60 yearsof Independence. The resistance didnot come from the people but from theEnglish-speaking bureaucracy and theforeign-trained English speakingpoliticians of the country, whocontinued to look down upon Hindi andSanskrit as lesser languages, and asthe languages of uneducated people.Present state of affairsVarious commissions andcommittees have highlighted theimportance of Sanskrit and the needto restore it to its old glory. All ourtexts, documents and scriptures arein Sanskrit; losing the language wouldbe losing our roots. Besides, Sanskritis the most structured and scientificlanguage spoken anywhere in theworld. In its syntax, grammar andstructure, no other language can matchit. ‘Sanskrit Commission’ which wasset up by the Government of India, inits 1957 report specifically pointed outthat Sanskrit is one of the greatestlanguages of the world and it is theclassical language par excellence notonly of India but of a good part of Asiaas well. The report states the Indianpeople look upon Sanskrit as thebinding force for the different people ofthis great country and described thisas the greatest discovery made by theCommission as it travelled from Keralato Kashmir and from Kamarupa toSaurastra. The commission, while sotravelling, found that though the peopleof this country differed in a number ofways, they all were proud to regardthemselves as participants in commonheritage and that heritageemphatically is the heritage ofSanskrit.India’s official education policyspecifically mentions that facilities forthe intensive study of Sanskrit has tobe encouraged. Still, the apathy,neglect and propaganda againstSanskrit has been so much that theSupreme Court of India had tointervene in 1994 to declare thatSanskrit has to be a part of education.However, the various States of India arestill disadvantaging, discouraging anddiscriminating education in Sanskrit atSchool, College and University level.Sanskrit learning has been stopped inmany schools in want of teachers andfunds. In Colleges and Universities,courses are being closed down andstudents are being discouraged;indirect discouragement and strategicdiscouragement is caused by limitingfinancial resources. Though Sanskritis a subject for appearing in CivilServices, the State and Universities areproviding no facilities to students forpreparing for civil services in Sanskrit,whereas other subjects are beingpatronised.As a result of this systematicpropaganda against this great heritage,offensives of the British rulers, and poorsupport for Sanskrit postindependence,the language has nowbeen reduced to a poor minority.According to the 2001 census of India,there remain only 14,135 speakers ofSanskrit in Hindustan. According to theIndian Census policy, if the totalnumber of speakers of any languageis reduced to less than 10,000, itwouldn’t even be reported as a separatelanguage.What needs to be done :The situation is emergent andSanskrit now urgently needs specialprotection. The Constitution of Indiaprovides for special protection tominorities based on distinct language,script or culture as per the provisionsrelated to minorities contained inArticle 29 and 30. Through a gazettenotification issued in 1993, the UnionMinistry of Welfare notified only fivereligious communities viz; theMuslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhistsand Zoroastrians (Parsis) as minoritycommunities. Linguistic minoritieshave not been considered for thepurpose of awarding protection and theconsequential “Minority” status eitherby the Union of India or the States. Thisneeds to change. Despite being alanguage of the masses once upon atime; Sanskrit now needs thisnecessary protection, as available tominorities.If Sanskrit is accorded “Minority”status, it will ensure a right to allSanskrit-speaking communities andstudents to ensure learning in Sanskritfrom primary level itself (Article 350A).Minority status also ensures the rightto conserve the language,independence in structuring andmanaging institutions of Sanskritlearning, right to establish andadminister educational institutions oftheir choice, protection from arbitraryacquisition, additional funds for runninginstitutions and printing/ publishing ofbooks in Sanskrit; and scholarshipsand other funding for students learningSanskrit; etc. Besides according“Minority” status to Sanskrit, everyState must also follow directionscontained in Article 351 of theConstitution and declare it as thesecond/ third language of the State.It is absolutely essential thatSanskrit be taught as language in allschools and institutions of higherlearning. State must ensure thatinstitutions of higher learning producegood Sanskrit teachers and alsoensure that all vacancies of Sanskritteachers in schools are filled-upimmediately. At individual level, allparents should also ensure that theirchildren learn Sanskrit, so that theycan taste and appreciate the geniusand depth of India directly in their basicmother tongue, without relying oncorrupted interpretation of their owntexts by a third person.Hemant Goswami is a socialactivist who recently moved the“Punjab and Haryana High Court,”praying for directing the Governmentto accord protection of “Minority” toSanskrit language. The High Court hasdirected the Government to take adecision within two months foraccording Sanskrit the protection asavailable to “Minorities.” Hemant canbe reached at hemant@sanskrit.asia(http://goimonitor.com/story/mother-language-sanskrit-needsurgent-protection)Heritage Explorer 10 January 2013