India
‘Bhavan katham asti?’ Sanskrit finds new life in the border villages of Assam | India News – Times of India
This exchange, a scene from everyday life, is just one of many in which Sanskrit has become an integral part of communication Anipur Basti and Patiala Basti near the Bangladesh border in Karimganj in southern Assam – a Muslim-majority district where the official language is Assamese and the native language is Bengali.
Here, the 5,000-year-old language is not just a subject in textbooks, but a language spoken fluently in everyday life. Villagers greet each other with a friendly “namaskaram,” while callers exchange, “Bhavan katham asti (How are you)?” to which the answer is: “Samyak asmi (I am well).”
Patiala is also witnessing a revival, with at least fifty residents speaking fluent Sanskrit.
The concentration level of children has increased since Sanskrit changed, say locals
About 300 of Anipur Basti’s 400 residents converse comfortably in Sanskrit and conduct business and even personal conversations in the ancient language.
Suman Kumar Nath, a local school teacher and resident of Anipur, is proud of the village’s linguistic journey. “Being the oldest language of the country, Sanskrit is a very rich language and a reservoir of our age-old knowledge,” he said.
For Nath, Sanskrit is not only a way to honor heritage, but also a way to access the knowledge embedded in the language. Nath’s school, which educates 200 children, including 20 Muslim students, teaches all students to converse in Sanskrit. From class 1 to 10, every child learns Sanskrit.
The revival began about nine years ago, when villagers attended workshops and educational programs aimed at re-integrating Sanskrit into everyday life.
The benefits of learning Sanskrit are noticeable, especially in education. Dipan Nath, resident of Patiala Basti, said that adoption of Sanskrit has had a positive impact on students’ performance.
“Since using the language, the students’ concentration levels have increased and they have performed well in academics,” he explained.
He attributed this to Sanskrit’s extensive vocabulary, which allows villagers to answer questions succinctly, often in one word.
The revival has attracted the attention of academics and language experts. Dr. Sudeshna Bhattacharya, head of the Sanskrit department at Gauhati University, visited Patiala Basti and was amazed by what she saw.
“Although many label Sanskrit as a ‘dead language’, the villagers, including those without formal education, have done a commendable job of using it in their lives,” she said.
Bhattacharya recalled her visit to the village, where a woman with no formal education welcomed her in fluent Sanskrit. “It was a powerful moment,” she said.
