Teach Sanskrit to youth, research its science texts: Governor Kavinder Gupta

Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta on Saturday, October 31, 2026, called for Sanskrit to be taught to young people and for the knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and Ayurveda found in Sanskrit literature to be studied more deeply, as he opened Sanskrit Bharati's two-day all-India conference at Malkwal, near Nurpur in Kangra district. Speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session, held at the VPM Institute of Nursing, he described Sanskrit as the foundation of Indian civilisation and culture and urged universities to expand Sanskrit studies. He also pointed to the National Education Policy 2020, the setting up of Central Sanskrit Universities and the preservation of ancient manuscripts as steps the central government has taken to promote Indian languages and knowledge traditions. The conference runs on October 31 and November 1.

Sanskrit is the language of a vast body of Indian writing on philosophy, grammar, mathematics, astronomy, medicine and the arts. Much of it survives in manuscripts that few people today can read. The Governor's speech links two efforts that are often discussed separately: keeping the language alive among the young, and treating the old texts as material for serious research rather than only as objects of reverence.

That second point is where the real work lies. Saying that Sanskrit literature contains knowledge of mathematics or astronomy is one thing; establishing what exactly the texts say, how they were used, and how their ideas compare with later science is another. That requires scholars who can read the language, access to well-catalogued manuscripts, and methods that keep historical claims apart from belief. University departments, manuscript missions and conferences such as this one are where that kind of work can happen, which is why calls to expand Sanskrit studies matter for research as much as for culture.

The conference also reflects a wider policy direction. The National Education Policy 2020 gives Indian languages and knowledge systems a larger place in education, and institutions such as the Central Sanskrit Universities have been set up or expanded to support that. Whether the push leads to new scholarship, new teachers and new readers of old texts will depend on funding, on academic standards, and on how many young people actually choose to study the language.

For students, the practical message is that Sanskrit is increasingly linked with fields beyond literature, from the history of science to manuscript studies and digital archiving. Those combinations may offer new academic paths for people interested in both languages and the sciences.

Short-term: The conference brings together Sanskrit teachers, scholars and volunteers from across the country for two days of discussion on spreading the language and its study.

Long-term: If the calls for wider teaching and research are taken up by universities, they could lead to more Sanskrit courses, more trained readers of manuscripts and more research into the history of Indian science and medicine.

Who is affected: Sanskrit teachers and students; universities and Sanskrit institutions; researchers in the history of science and Indian knowledge systems; and young people considering Sanskrit as a subject.

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