Indians praising Sanskrit branded 'bhagwa': Smriti

Lucknow: Launching a web portal and a mobile application called Bharatvani which will cover various subjects from agriculture to economics and sciences in 22 Indian languages at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University on Wednesday, Union minister for human resource development Smriti Irani said the app is not only a gift to linguaphiles but also an introduction of India's vast cultural heritage and its linguistic diversity to the world.
Speaking on Sanskrit and artificial intelligence, Irani said an article written by a NASA researcher Rick Briggs in 1980s found a symbiotic relationship between the two. Irani said Briggs surprised the world when he said India's ages old Sanskrit language is the oldest living knowledge. "Had this been said by a common Indian citizen or an academician, they would have been termed as 'bhagwa' (saffron-supporter). But fortunately, this was said by an American,'' said Irani, adding this is why Indian citizens have a natural inclination towards technology. She said an American from Cornell University's mathematics department, who visited the library in Kanchipuram in 1990s went back to write a paper on geometry titled 'Shulba Sutras'. "He said the oldest geometry book is available in India and is in Sanskrit "This was appreciated by all. I wonder what would have happened to an IIT professor if he had dared to say this,'' said Irani, on the eve of the second anniversary of the BJP government.
She continued, "It's true that when there is a discussion or controversy on Indian languages, its the philologist who is blamed. The language lover is treated as someone spreading communalism. Often, it is seen that when 'outsiders' compliment India on anything, it becomes more valuable for Indians,'' said Irani.
Irani said recently, newspapers had flashed headlines saying Smriti Irani has asked IITs to teach Sanskrit. "It was a first-of-its-kind example in the world in which one was criticised for promoting one's own language,'' she said.