International Sanskrit Conference: Lord Macaulay And Sanskritists
Now a days, a ‘quote’ of Lord Macaulay,who is alleged for giving the following statement in Parliament of England in the year 1835 is being spread through internet:
‘‘I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.”
As a Sanskritist, I would like to raise some points on this so called Macaulay’s statement.
A Nibandha work, Vivaadabhangarnava was written in the year 1792 by Jagannatha Tarkapanchanana where the court procedures and punishments for the offences are narrated in detail. According to the quote of Macaulay (which is being spread through internet), he did not see even single beggar and single thief in the year 1835. Wonderful. Did the words Bhikshuka(=beggar) and Chora(=thief) get vanished for 43 years in Sanskrit and they re-appeared only after 1835 ? That means, Macaulay started the education institutes where theft and beggary were taught! If Sanskrit is so powerful to eradicate the problems of theft and beggary, why the Indians, particularly Skt. Professors started to write books in the language of thieves and beggars?
In some blogs it is said that this Macaulay statement is freshly woven. Because in the year 1835, Macaulay was in India and not England.
The students of Sanskrit hesitate to speak in Sanskrit. The professors hesitate speak in Sanskrit. Some people have developed the habit of extolling Sanskrit to the sky (in English)! Did Macaulay tell Skt.Professors to give up Sanskrit? Even if he had said so, why these professors have become slaves of Macaulay? Are they fearing to the ghost of him? Macaulay said this for Indians and not Europeans. But even Europeans write introductions in English to Sanskrit works. Why don’t they write introductions in Sanskrit? Are even they slaves of Macaulay?
What are the Sanskrit departments of the Universities doing now a days except delivering yawn-generating lectures? Why they don’t encourage Sanskrit writing? Did Macaulay kill Sanskrit or these professors who don’t use Sanskrit in writing?
In some blogs in the internet Macaulay’s another ‘quotation’ is available. It is as follows-
“In 1813, the British Parliament made it mandatory that the East India Company spend at least Rs. One Lakh annually on the education of native Indians. The British officials were divided in two camps: one the powerful Orientalists, who wanted the indigenous system of education to continue, with Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian as media of instruction. The Anglicist camp, led by Lord Macaulay, argued for the European kind of modern education, with focus on modern sciences. Macaulay won, and the British-type of modern educational system was introduced in India. Macaulay had said that ‘I would at once stop the printing of Arabic and Sanscrit books, I would abolish the Madrassa and the Sanscrit college at Calcutta.’
OK. Macaulay started schools and colleges of English culture. But why the Indians sent their children to these Macaulay schools? Why did not they raise a voice to closure of these Macaulay institutions? Shall we conclude that ONE person was mightier than the centuries-old tradition of Sanskrit ?
Macaulay had hatred towards Sanskrit. But, are these so called Sanskrit professors showing their love towards Sanskrit by writing English introductions and presenting papers in only English? Do they have moral right to criticize Macaulay?
Why Skt.writers in most cases write introductions in the languages other than Sanskrit? Is it because of laziness, inability, irresponsibility or not finding enough words in ‘most perfect and most scientific language’? Don’t they know that the ones who can understand the main body of the Sanskrit work DO understand the Sanskrit introductions? Why do they hide the fact that they can not write in correct Sanskrit in spite of their being professors?
Let them show to the whole world that they are free and not slaves of Macaulay by writing introductions in Sanskrit.
Why the professors are not shouting for correct three language policy in our country comprising 1.State language,2. International language(English) and 3. National language(Sanskrit)? Has the ghost of Macaulay become great impediment in declaring this? On what basis they make adverse comments on Macaulay?
Macaulay was product of a culture where book writing is not seen as an offence. But we, the so called Sanskritists are product of the tradition of Indian Universitis where book culture is ridiculed and only teaching and listening are given undue importance. So, we copy the works written by others, edit them and write introductions in the language of Macaulay and not in the language of Panini.
And see the RSS. RSS does not denounce Dayananda Saraswathi who opined the language of Uttarapradesh shall be National Language of India. It is plain truth that being a Sanskritist, Dayananda Saraswathi wanted to learn English (Ref. Pandit Sudhakara Chaturvedi’s Kannada work, ‘Dayananda-saraswathi’)! RSS guys do not even imagine criticizing Macaulay culture in the introductions in edited Sanskrit works of University children. They don’t articulate ‘Sanskrit is real national language of India’. They don’t say the three language policy in our country shall be English, State language and Sanskrit. To some extent even these followers of Babu Rajendraprasad are responsible for our language problem who don’t open their mouth when the officials insult our diversified culture by proclaiming that all the languages other than that of Uttarapradesh are ‘praantabhaashaas(languages limited to very small area)’. Do they have guts to raise their voice against Macaulay tradition in coming so called ‘World Sanskrit Conference?’
May we hope that International Sanskrit Conference in Delhi will not be conference of Macaulay-slaves? May we hope the Conference will be real Sanskrit Conference?
About the Author
I born in the year 1956, I would like to become fulltime writer in Sanskrit.
Aabhaanakajagannatha, a collection of 1300 of my own Sanskrit proverbs is recently published.
My another work is, ‘dve mukhe(two faces)’. It is a work of two humorous long poems. It is available at ‘Serene Woods. com’ As per my knowledge goes, this is the first time a Sanskrit work is published online.
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