By Admin 
Pakistan Sanskrit Education: For the first time after partition, Sanskrit language has been included in the curriculum of education in Pakistan. Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has started a four-credit course in this classical language. This initiative evolved from a three-month long weekend workshop, which received a good response from students and scholars.
Under the course, the Urdu version of the famous theme of Mahabharata television series ‘Hai Katha Sangram Ki’ is also being taught to the students.
Focus on Pakistan’s rich but neglected Sanskrit collection
Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, director of the Gurmani Centre, told The Tribune that Pakistan has one of the richest but most neglected Sanskrit collections in the Punjab University Library. He said, ‘An important collection of Sanskrit palm leaf manuscripts was cataloged by scholar JCR Woolner in the 1930s, but no Pakistani scholar has been associated with this collection since 1947. Only foreign researchers use it. Training local scholars will change this. Dr. Qasmi also informed that the university is planning to expand through upcoming courses on Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita. He said, ‘In 10-15 years we may see Pakistan based scholars of Gita and Mahabharata.’
Dr. Shahid Rashid made a big contribution
This change has been possible due to the efforts of Dr. Shahid Rashid, Associate Professor of Sociology, Forman Christian College. Dr. Rashid said, ‘Classical languages contain a lot of knowledge for humanity. I started learning Arabic and Persian and then studied Sanskrit.
He told that he learned Sanskrit grammar under the guidance of Cambridge Sanskrit scholar Antonia Ruppel and Australian Indologist MacMas Taylor, through online platforms. He further said, ‘It took about a year to learn classical Sanskrit grammar and I am still learning it.’
Dr. Rashid said that people often question his choice of studying Sanskrit. He said, ‘I tell them, why shouldn’t we learn it? It is the bonding language of the entire region. The village of Sanskrit grammarian Panini was in this area. A lot of writing took place here during the Indus Valley Civilization. Sanskrit is like a mountain, a cultural monument. We should adopt it. It is ours too; It is not related to any one religion.
Cultural unity through languages in South Asia
Dr. Rashid further said that if people try to learn each other’s classical traditions, a more harmonious situation can be seen in South Asia. Giving examples, he said, ‘Imagine if more Hindus and Sikhs in India learn Arabic, and more Muslims in Pakistan learn Sanskrit, this could be a new, hopeful beginning for South Asia, where languages act as bridges and not barriers.’