Dehradun: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed the Sanskrit Education Department to organize regular, year-round activities in designated ‘Sanskrit Villages’ to preserve, promote, and propagate the Sanskrit language. Reviewing the department at his residence on Wednesday, CM Dhami stressed that activities in model Sanskrit villages should extend beyond special occasions to include daily Sanskrit conversation and cultural programs.
He instructed officials to develop simple, age-appropriate educational materials to introduce children to Sanskrit alongside the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and classical texts—emphasizing that Sanskrit forms the bedrock of India’s knowledge tradition and cultural values.
Key Directives:
- Promoting Sanskrit at Holy Sites: Display motivational quotes and verses (shlokas) along with simple translations at major pilgrimage centers including the Char Dhams, Har Ki Pauri, Jageshwar Dham, Adi Kailash, Purnagiri, Surkanda Devi, Dhari Devi, Garjiya Devi, and Virbhadra Rishikesh.
- State Language Status: Reaffirmed that as Uttarakhand’s second official language, Sanskrit education will receive unrestricted funding for preservation and development.
- Kumbh Mela Action Plan: Directed the preparation of a comprehensive action plan in Haridwar for the upcoming Kumbh Mela to present Sanskrit and Indian knowledge systems to global devotees.
Secretary of Sanskrit Education, Deepak Kumar, reported that one model Sanskrit village has been operationalized in each of the 13 districts. He highlighted active scholarship programs—including the Gargi Sanskrit Girls Scholarship and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar SC/ST Sanskrit Scholarship—and confirmed that the process to establish a Sanskrit Commission to oversee research, manuscript digitization, and modern integration is underway.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University Prof. Ramakant Pandey, Additional Secretaries Manuj Goyal and Kavindra Singh, and Joint Secretary Rajendra Singh Patiyal.
