New Delhi: Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, has sparked multiple debates over the years.
Not only has its inclusion in the list of languages for which simultaneous interpretation is available in Parliament been contested by Opposition parties, the characteristic of the language has also been a matter of debate.
Is it a ‘scientific’ language?
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reignited the controversy on Sunday, claiming that Sanskrit is a “scientific” language which even NASA has acknowledged.
“Even NASA scientists have written papers on Sanskrit and have confirmed that it is a scientific language. Coding can be done in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the most computer-friendly language,” Rekha remarked while addressing the closing ceremony of a 10-day Sanskrit learning initiative in the capital.
The Delhi CM’s assertion was most likely based on a 1985 paper, and subsequent claims published in AI magazine.
The paper, titled ‘Knowledge Representation in Sanskrit and Artificial Intelligence’, was
Authored by Rick Briggs, a researcher associated with NASA Ames Research Centre, the paper aimed to prove that a “natural language can serve as an artificial language also.”
Briggs said in the paper that ancient Sanskrit grammarians who “accomplished” a method for “paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is identical not only in essence but in form with current work in Artificial Intelligence.”
Whether that can be taken as acceptable evidence to prove Sanskrit is a scientific language is open to question.
The Delhi CM went on to say that it is because of societal bias that fluency in foreign languages is considered to be a sign of intelligence, while often dismissing Sanskrit.
“If our children speak French, German or English fluently, then we consider that child very bright and take pride in that. But when a child can speak Sanskrit with the same fluency, it is not considered a big deal,” Rekha observed.
She further argued that Sanskrit is not only foundational to Indian culture but also integral to many Indian languages.
“Every state has a mother tongue, but in reality, Sanskrit is our mother tongue, as every language has descended from Sanskrit. Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Sindhi, Malayalam — these are all branches of Sanskrit,” she said.
“If we want to be ‘Vishva Guru’ (world leader), then we have to gain more knowledge by the means of Sanskrit,” Rekha said, adding that the Delhi government will work to make the language more accessible, especially through government schools.
