IIT-Indore to Teach Ancient Indian Sciences in Sanskrit

IIT-Indore has introduced a one-of-its-kind course to teach classical scientific texts to students in Sanskrit, starting with Bhaskaracharya’s mathematical treatise ‘Lilavati’ of almost a thousand years ago, reports Meenakshi Sharma.
More than 750 people from across the globe have signed up for the course that started on August 22. The first edition will end on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti.
The institute has lined up fortnightly programmes to teach metallurgy, astronomy, medicines and plant sciences in Sanskrit. Students can study classical Indian scientific texts in their original forms and converse about them in the ancient language.
The officiating director of IIT-Indore, Professor Neelesh Kumar Jain, who inaugurated the course on Friday, said: “Sanskrit, an ancient language, is finding its place in artificial intelligence and will become the language of the future. I am very happy that we have taken this initiative to reconnect people with this language, not just as a hobby but as a necessity as it comes with a blend of technology.”
Course coordinator Dr Ganti S Murthy, professor of biosciences and biomedical engineering at the institute, pointed out how discussions on ancient Indian scientific treatises earlier always needed to have a translator, and very often significant aspects or nuances were lost in translation.
The IIT-Indore programme will first help students grasp enough Sanskrit to converse in the language, after which they will move to the second phase where they can discuss technical subjects in Sanskrit, facilitated by experts in the same language.
A qualifying exam will be held to evaluate the preparedness of participants for level 2. Those already well versed in Sanskrit and with a technical background can go directly to the second stage.
Participation in the discussions in Sanskrit is mandatory for all students, and those who falter will not get the course completion certificate.
An impressive 30% of those who have enrolled are working professionals. About 50% are undergraduates and masters students, with PhD scholars and others making up the rest, say institute officials.
“Most of the traditional Indic scientific treatises in sustainable water resource management, agriculture, mathematics, metallurgy, astronomy, medicine, plant sciences, economic and political texts, such as Artha Shastra, are in Sanskrit. Understanding Sanskrit with a view to studying these texts is extremely important to preserve and advance India’s scientific heritage,” said Dr Murthy.
IIT-Indore has roped in a panel of experts for the programme — Pramod Pandit, Mayuri Phadke and Pravesh Vaishnav from Samskrita Bharati, Madhya Kshetram. The technical experts on the team are Professor K Ramasubramanian and Dr K Mahesh from IIT-Bombay.

Source:ToI