Sanskrit to be taught in Pakistan for the first time since Partition

A professor describes the language as a “cultural monument”

Sanskrit is being taught again in Pakistan’s classrooms for the first time since Partition.

The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has introduced a four-credit course in the classical language, building on a three-month weekend workshop that received significant interest from students and scholars, the NDTV reports.

The course also familiarises students with the Urdu version of “Hai Katha Sangram Ki”, a well-known theme from the Mahabharat television series.

Gurmani Centre Director Dr Ali Usman Qasmi told The Tribune that Pakistan has one of the richest yet most overlooked Sanskrit archives at Punjab University’s library.

“A significant collection of Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts was catalogued in the 1930s by scholar JCR Woolner, but no Pakistani academic has engaged with this collection since 1947. Only foreign researchers use it. Training scholars locally will change that, he was quoted as saying by the NDTV.

“In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata.”

The university also plans to introduce future courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.

This shift has come through the efforts of Shahid Rasheed, associate professor of Sociology at Forman Christian College.

According to the NDTV, Rasheed said: “Classical languages contain much wisdom for mankind. I started with learning Arabic and Persian, and then studied Sanskrit.”

He learnt primarily through online platforms, studying under Cambridge Sanskrit scholar Antonia Ruppel and Australian Indologist McComas Taylor.

“It took almost a year to cover classical Sanskrit grammar. And I'm still studying it,” he added.

“Why should we not learn it? It is the binding language of the entire region. Sanskrit grammarian Panini's village was in this region. Much writing was done here during the Indus Valley Civilisation.

“Sanskrit is like a mountain – a cultural monument. We need to own it. It is ours too; it's not tied to any one particular religion.”

He also said South Asia would be more cohesive if people sought to learn each other’s classical traditions, the NDTV has reported.

“Imagine if more Hindus and Sikhs in India started learning Arabic, and more Muslims in Pakistan took up Sanskrit, it could be a fresh, hopeful start for South Asia, where languages become bridges instead of barriers.”