LUCKNOW: Waliullah Khan (69), who learnt Sanskrit much before Urdu and taught it for close to 40 years (deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma also having been his student), is pained at the controversy over the appointment of Dr Firoz Khan in Banaras Hindu University (BHU). At the same time, he is also happy that the BHU did not succumb to students’ pressure for Dr Khan’s removal.
Waliullah Khan, who retired from Government Jubilee Inter College in 2010, said he developed a taste for Sanskrit at an early age and never had a formal education of Urdu. He picked up Urdu books much later after he accomplished mastery over Sanskrit.
“Sanskrit is the most scientific and pure language, often regarded as mother of all languages. I learnt Sanskrit much ahead of Urdu. There was no opposition in the family. The present development in the BHU is unfortunate. My heart goes out to Sanskrit teacher Firoz Khan who has been dragged into a controversy. The selection committee appointed Firoz who must have met the criteria. The protest by a handful of students is not justified,” he said.
“I taught at Government Jubilee Inter College for nearly 38 years before retiring in June 2010. There was no issue at all over my being a Muslim and teaching Sanskrit. I never faced any opposition. Students and teachers accorded me a warm welcome. I am glad that the university has backed the teacher and has not buckled under pressure from protesters,” he said.
Recalling how he fell in love with Sanskrit, he said, “In my school in Deoria, there was a Sanskrit teacher Brahma Dwivedi who taught the language in an interesting way. Charmed with his style, I developed interest in the subject. I told my parents who happily gave their consent. There was no pressure on me to learn Urdu ahead of Sanskrit. I studied Sanskrit till graduation.”
{{/usCountry}}Recalling how he fell in love with Sanskrit, he said, “In my school in Deoria, there was a Sanskrit teacher Brahma Dwivedi who taught the language in an interesting way. Charmed with his style, I developed interest in the subject. I told my parents who happily gave their consent. There was no pressure on me to learn Urdu ahead of Sanskrit. I studied Sanskrit till graduation.”
{{/usCountry}}“My student and present deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma, whom I taught Sanskrit from Class 6 to 8, was absolutely correct when he said languages, subjects and teachers are above religion. This should put an end to the ongoing protest,” he said.
To recall, commenting on the controversy over appointment of a Muslim teacher in the faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan (SVDV) of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma had said on Wednesday that subjects and teachers did not have any religion.
Sharma had further said that Waliullah Khan taught him Sanskrit when he studied at Government Jubilee Inter College in Lucknow and there had never been any issues. “Recently, I felicitated Waliullah Khan sa’ab at a function held in my school. It was such an emotional moment for me to honour my own teacher who shaped my life,” Sharma had said.