Frontlist | IIT-Roorkee to launch online spoken Sanskrit camp for teachers

After an online course on Spoken Sanskrit had the participation of over 5000 delegates from 32 countries, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee‘s Sanskrit Club plans to launch a new course for the participants who have aced all five levels and also an online spoken Sanskrit camp for teachers. An initiative called ‘Subhashitam Samskritam’ was organised online by Sanskrit Club, IIT-Roorkee, and Samskrita Bharati, a non-governmental organisation. It was launched in July 2020 by Prime Minister Modi and Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. At the valedictory ceremony of the course, Prof Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT-Roorkee called upon the Sanskrit Club, IIT Roorkee to revisit Sanskrit literature that would be relevant for current students from the research perspective. “It is indeed remarkable and laudable that a technology institute has embarked on this initiative to rekindle and encourage the study of Sanskrit. The attempt to transform the Deva Bhasha or language of the Gods into a Vyayaharika Bhasha or a colloquial language deserves kudos,” said BVR Mohan Reddy, chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Roorkee. The aim of the initiative, the institute claims, was to “create awareness about the significance of Sanskrit among the young generation.” Level-1 of the course imparted spoken Sanskrit lessons free of cost via the WebEx platform and YouTube live. Levels 2-5 covered usage and grammar concepts in Sanskrit. At the end of each level, online exams were conducted. Prorated marks from these exams and the marks obtained in a final oral exam that is ongoing will together be considered for the final evaluation. Above 2000 people are expected to clear the final evaluation. All course material is being made available through the Sanskrit club’s website. The 79 lectures and supporting videos related to the course available on YouTube have received aggregate views of over 1 million so far, the IIT informed. Source:  Indian Express