A Colloquium On Functional And Communicative Sanskrit Organized At IIT Bhubaneswar

21st Dec, 2019, Bhubaneswar: IIT Bhubaneswar organized a colloquium on functional and communicative Sanskrit in association with Holistic Science Research Center, Surat. Gujarat. Prof. R.V. Raja Kumar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar inaugurated the colloquium and delivered his inaugural address on the occasion. Prof. Swarup Kumar Mahapatra, Dean Continuing Education and Head, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) presided over the function.

Prof. Amba Kulkarni, Head, Department of Sanskrit Studies, University of Hyderabad presented some of the language tools which were created by her over the years during the colloquium. The colloquium also had interesting talks on Sanskrit Language and Linguistics by Prof. Siniruddha Dash, teaching Sanskrit, the language, concepts and values by Hara Mohan Mishra along with a talk on Dharma, Artha and Kama by Braj Kishore Swain, Introduction to Vedas to the Beginners by Prativa Rath and modern methods of learning languages by Saraju Rath. This was followed by an interesting discussion on Designing Class-wise Course Contents for Functional and Communicative Sanskrit chaired by Radhamadhav Dash.

The main objective of this colloquium is to find a way to modify the teaching learning process for Sanskrit without losing its rigor. Several other Sanskrit Scholars in India familiar with modern and traditional way of teaching Sanskrit showcased their presentations in the Colloquium which is expected to contribute significantly to innovative Sanskrit teaching that will give access to the rich treasury of the philosophical and scientific through of ancient India to students of science and technology and anyone interested in fascinating traditions.

The colloquium will also be preparation for new courses in Indian Philosophy and sciences to be taught at IIT Bhubaneswar next year. The colloquium also brought to light about the various online resources and e-tools available which if used in judicious way by students of science and technology can reduce the burden of memorizing dictionaries and rules that is part of traditional method. The colloquium was well attended by faculty, staff and students in large nos. Overall the colloquium aimed to make the learning of Sanskrit simpler with wide acceptance among the B.Tech students of today. The event was coordinated by Prof. Godabarish Mishra, Prof. Jan Houben, IIT Bhubaneswar. The colloquium ended with vote of thanks.