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Thriving in tradition: Acharya tops Cambridge exam [DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India)](DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Kharghar: Br Ved Chaitanya, the acharya of Chinmaya Prerna, Kharghar, secured 97% in Sanskrit, in the Cambridge University Examination held at the Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) in Kerala. The exam was taken by students of the language across the world at different centres. The 25-year-old acharya who has been a part of the ashram for 10 months, said that one of the reasons he took the exam was to make people aware of the opportunities to excel in Sanskrit and put the knowledge to good use. The examination was held in June at CIF that carries out research in Sanskrit and Indian philosophy. It was for three different levels of calibre in the language, namely basic, advanced subsidiary and advanced. Br Chaitanya opted for the second level and with his score stood first in India. Although an electronics and telecommunication engineer by profession, Br Chaitanya chose to tread the spiritual path, be involved in learning sacred texts, with an aim to contribute in spreading their message and meaning among others. After a two years Vedanta course at the Powai branch of Chinmaya Mission and regular reading, he started taking classes. At present, he focuses on teaching the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and other myriad sections of the Veda, along with taking Sanskrit classes. Talking about his inclination towards Sanskrit, he said, "Sanskrit fascinated me from the time I opted for it in school. While it an ancient language, its structure and usage remains the same even today, unlike many relatively recent languages. A student who learns Sanskrit can read the Valmiki Ramayana with ease," said Br Chaitanya, adding that it also has clear and unambiguous grammar rules. As parents today tend to attach a career value to anything their child learns, he said, "If one chooses to diligently learn the language, there are various options to consider in term of vocation. While they can opt to teach the essence of the sacred texts to interested people, there are opportunities to conduct research both in India and abroad. Researchers are contemplating using Sanskrit as a computer language because its time-tested syntax and structure makes it easy, with less word usage." No doubt, like being conversant with one's mother tongue, youngsters learning Sanskrit would help in preserving our culture. "Sanskrit as our sacred language is an important part of our culture, rituals and traditions. Preserving the language is thus important to preserve the culture and vice versa," he said. Credit:Mahalakshmi Subramanian (c) 2014 @ 2014 DILIGENT MEDIA CORPORATION LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |