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INDIA, September 14, 2004: Eminent Sanskrit scholar Govind Chandra Pande has been awarded the 2003 Saraswati Samman by the K.K. Birla Foundation. It was another laurel for the eminent scholar and another reminder to everyone about the pressing need to “revive” the Sanskrit language. But Professor Govind Chandra Pande holds a slightly different view of the ongoing “demise” of the Sanskrit language. In his acceptance speech for the 2003 Saraswati Samman, Pande said that though many people believed that Sanskrit was now a lifeless language, language was not a living being which lives and dies. Pande received the Samman for a collection of his poems in Sanskrit, Bhagirathi, from Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. The K.K. Birla Foundation gives this award to an Indian writer every year for his work in any of the languages included in the Constitution. The award consists of $11,360 and a citation.



Pande said that while some languages changed in a lifetime others like Sanskrit did not. A historian by profession, Pande has been a recipient of many awards. The acharya is currently translating the Rigveda. Speaking on the occasion, Shekhawat said that the classical language is our heritage. He asserted that we must save it from going into oblivion. Instead of showcasing valuable legacy in libraries, we needed to give Sanskrit space in our mind and hearts, he said.

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