The campus of Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (RSVP) was a melting pot of disparate cultures, educational backgrounds and traditions here on Tuesday, as the varsity celebrated 14th All India Sanskrit Students Talent Festival 2020.
As many as 400 students from 32 Sanskrit institutions are taking part, resembling a ‘Mini Bharat’. Right from Jammu to Ernakulam and Pune to Kolkata, the pan-India presence of budding Sanskrit scholars made it a lively event.
Vidyapeetha’s Chancellor and former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami formally inaugurated the event along with Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) member secretary Sachidanand Joshi.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Joshi said, “Sanskrit will always remain an authoritative representative of great Indian heritage and culture,” he said and appealed to the students of Sanskrit to not limit themselves to teaching jobs but also consider pursuing research in oriental scriptures and make its essence available to the future generations.
“Modern education will remain in certificates, but Sanskrit universities are the real custodians of science,” he said.
Mr. Gopalaswami, a Padma Bhushan awardee, recalled the efforts of the former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee in launching the National Manuscripts Mission (NMM), which was considered a giant leap in deciphering the science hidden in palm leaf manuscripts.
He also explained that the Vidyapeetha had taken up the task of providing commentaries to the five great ‘Kavyas’ in a simplified manner. Vice-Chancellor V. Muralidhara Sharma said that the event would create an identity of ‘oneness’ among all the Sanskrit students in the country.
The students showcased their talent in various fields in the cultural sessions held in the evening.
