The Central Sanskrit University (CSU), Lucknow, (formerly Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan) has tapped youngsters proficient in Sanskrit from across the country and trained them on making reels and vlogs in Sanskrit to promote the ancient language across the world.
Thirty-seven youths were chosen from out of 400 applicants from across the country. Prominent names from Bollywood then trained them at a five-day workshop that concluded on Friday, CSU director Sarvanarayan Jha said.
“CSU took the onus to promote Indian Knowledge System through reels, vlogs and tap Gen Z and Gen Alpha to carry forward Sanskrit into the internet to maximise its reach,” he said.
The selected students were trained in video editing, content writing, Sanskrit language conversation, aesthetics, cultural importance, photography, Sanskrit content etc.
“At present, ancient knowledge can be disseminated through social media in the world. For that it is pertinent to introduce our university students to various social media platforms such as X, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook and LinkedIn, etc,” Jha said.
Among the trainers were national award winner film director, writer, editor, Dinesh Yadav, acclaimed screenwriter and lyricist of Hindi movies, Suryapal Singh of The Kerala Story, Turtle and Wah Zindagi fame and others. They were in Lucknow to train these youths who are well versed in Sanskrit and wish to make a career in the language.
{{/usCountry}}Among the trainers were national award winner film director, writer, editor, Dinesh Yadav, acclaimed screenwriter and lyricist of Hindi movies, Suryapal Singh of The Kerala Story, Turtle and Wah Zindagi fame and others. They were in Lucknow to train these youths who are well versed in Sanskrit and wish to make a career in the language.
{{/usCountry}}19-year-old Pushpita Das, a second-year student of Shastri (graduation) of CSU Agartala and other students could not believe their eyes as they saw Bollywood heavyweights walking into their classrooms to share their knowledge.
Dibyashri Nath of CSU Agartala said that it was an enriching experience for her as she and others spent long interactive sessions on various aspects related with how to handle a camera and edit videos.
“It was a huge honour to get a hands-down lesson from them. The CSU initiative to promote Sanskrit is laudable,” said Shyama Tiwari, 19 and Sweta Thakur, 21, who attended the workshop.
Amrita Kaur, senior faculty member of CSU, New Delhi, who is in charge of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), who was part of the workshop to guide students, said, “A criterion for choosing these 37 youngsters for the workshop was previous experience of making reels and vlogs in Sanskrit. In these five days, we tried to sharpen their skills. Online medium is a very important tool to promote Sanskrit globally.”
The registrar of the CSU, Prof RG Murali Krishna, said, “Here, the CSU has a special focus on technology. Along with ancient scriptures, these youngsters are starting new methods of Natti Shastra and doing new experiments in the film industry, adopting technology through vlogs.”
Vivek Singh, media in charge of CSU, Lucknow, said that it was heartening to see the love for Sanskrit among students. He said that it is a myth to say that there are no career opportunities in Sanskrit.
Out of the 37 candidates who attended the five-day workshop, only nine students are from UP and rest are from other states like three each from Odisha, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, two each from Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Delhi.
Bid to promote Sanskrit and Indian Knowledge System
The CSU is aimed at promoting Sanskrit and culture. Therefore, Vlogs are being made in simple standard Sanskrit on social media to broadcast in the world. Plethora of self-employment opportunities available.
Prominent figures provide guidance
The trainers were from Bollywood who provided guidance to the participants. A competition was organised for the selection of a video log creation. In this event, students from Prak Shastra to Vidyavaridhi participated.