Comments on: Next Generations

By: Brijesh Sonkar

Brijesh Sonkar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:47:58 +0000

I am Brijesh Sonkar. I am doing Ph.D………..

By: vikas

vikas — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:01:44 +0000

i also checked the internet and yes ambedkar did study sanskrit it seems. the point however being that the memory of ambedkar is not about what he sought for sanskrit as a language or as a discipline. that columbia seeks to introduce or alter the dominant currents of the memory of ambedkar in that direction is to be read how? one could argue that columbia seeks to change the established structure of the social origins of sanskrit scholarship in the world today. i hope they do that but it seems very unlikely. in my opinion, it rather seeks to broaden the legitimacy of sanskrit as a discipline, language or culture by using his name. thats good service to sanskrit but whether it would be good service to those who remember (and cause the GoI to remember) Ambedkar is a moot point.

By: gaddeswarup

gaddeswarup — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:10:04 +0000

From google search, I see that Ambedkar not only learnt Sanskrit in his later years (apparently his teachers refused to teach him in school) but also advocated Sanskrit as a national language for India. I have been off and on looking at science writing in Telugu and technical dictionaries in a few Indian languages. Finding systematic terminology for science writing seems to be a problem and it seems easier to borrow from Sanskrit. I wonder whether Sanskrit can play a role similar to Latin for unifying scientific terminology for Indian languages.

By: xoxo

xoxo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:01:33 +0000

I couldn’t agree with you more. As an Indian, I am very proud of Dr. Ambedkar and his accomplishments.

By: sepoy

sepoy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:18:55 +0000

What exactly is an “oxymoron”? That this scholarship will help (dalit ?) students study at one of the topmost universities with amazing scholar? that ambedkar graduated from Columbia? that he studied Sanskrit against odds? that he had a particular relationship with the language and was intent on promoting it?

By: vikas

vikas — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:34:50 +0000

‘ambedkar sanskrit scholarship’. its cliched but i’d love to call it an oxymoron.