Exclusive: As China gets first Sanskrit textbooks, scholars appeal to Modi
Chinese students are going to Germany and not India to study because of difficulty in getting short term courses in India.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be presented Chinese translations of ancient Indian texts to mark his visit.
This will be especially significant for Huang Baosheng, China's greatest living Sanskrit scholar and translator.
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This week, as Modi lands in China, China's most renowned Indologist is also completing a lifetime's endeavour.
It has taken Huang 10-years to finish China's first complete Sanskrit textbooks. The 11 volumes are a full guide for aspiring Sanskrit scholars that will be introduced in universities and schools.
These include a primary Sanskrit reader, the last book that was finished recently, to literature readers and translated Buddhist sutras that are important to Chinese.
For China's scholars this is potentially a transformative development as for the first time it provides them a complete set of guides to study the language which will be circulated in Chinese universities.
Peking University has taught Sanskrit for decades, and there are still around 30 Chinese studying the language. But they have been facing difficulties.
Huang told India Today: "Why I have compiled these books? We have so many people in China studying Western culture, but few studying Indian culture. Ancient Indian culture has been so important to China , and Sanskrit is a key language to have a deep understanding of this great culture, so this is my effort to help the new generation in China learn this language and culture."
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Many young Chinese interested in India or Buddhism are taking to the language, says Sanskrit researcher Huang Yiting at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"I majored in Indian English literature, but to learn Indian literature you need to understand ancient culture of India which drew me to learning Sanskrit", she said. "But the problem is many can't go to India to study, as India universities are not interested to host Chinese scholars on short term courses and visas do not come easily. "Most Chinese Sanskrit students go to Germany but what they learn is also not so ideal."
As PM Modi comes to China, the appeal from Professor Huang is that India should do more to help the next generation of Sanskrit scholars starting with providing them visas and allowing them to come to India on fellowships. The biggest tragedy he says is more Chinese scholars are now going to the West to learn the language and not to India.
"What I would like to request to PM Modi is if Indian universities can host Chinese scholars and help them learn what is a challenging language," he said.
For China's greatest Sanskrit scholar who has given 50 years to the language, he hopes the Prime Minister will help take forward his lifetime's ambition.
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