Source: Indian Express
NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 9, 2001: Students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, will soon have the option of studying Sanskrit texts and the precise science of Sanskrit grammar. Following a directive from the Ministry for Human Resources and Development sent to over 40 institutes in the country, IIT Delhi was the first to draft a curriculum. While the HRD Ministry wanted a full-fledged center, IIT plans to “integrate Sanskrit studies into the IIT system of education.” “The idea is to remove the impression that Sanskrit is just a language. Sanskrit is on the lines of mathematics and linguistics,” said Wagesh Shukla of IIT’s math department, who is also a Sanskrit scholar and has spearheaded the effort. The Sanskrit program will be an elective course and has drawn mixed reaction from faculty and students, with some concerned about the utility of the course.