LONDON, ENGLAND, August 31, 2020 (kreately.in by Lakshmi Kaul): I noticed a sudden explosion of social media posts boasting of learning a new skill or a language. It almost felt unreal when I saw many youngsters flaunting having learned Sanskrit. The image though of a Sanskrit class is rather conflicting as I think of our millennials learning this indic language!
Visions of a Gurukul setting of students chanting shlokas, adorning traditional attire and performing the yagna appear. In the Covid-19 times, at best this might guise itself into an online session with a sadhu or sadhvi, wearing saffron or white clothes, speaking against the backdrop of the tanpura. Amidst these images, appears the shock of seeing Dr. Rishi Handa and his Sanskrit classes. What is even more fascinating is his own personal journey as someone who was born and brought up in England. He attributes his interest in learning Sanskrit to his being a Hindu. I decided, therefore, to interview him and find out about Sanskrit learning in the West particularly for millennials who have little to do with Indic cultures or traditions of Bharat.
Read this interesting interview with Dr. Rishi Handa, Head of Sanskrit and Religious Studies, St. James’ Senior Boys’ School, London, at “source” above.