Sanskrit to be declared as ‘National Language’? Petition moved in SC, argues India should learn from Israel

Former Additional Secretary to Gujarat government Kaluji Gobarji Vanzara filed public interest litigation (PIL) in Supreme Court seeking direction to the union government to notify Sanskrit as “national language” while continuing with Hindi as the official language.

According to the petition, Vanzara claimed that the national language status will be higher than the official language status accorded to Hindi. The petition said the notification can be done simply by an Act or an executive order, without disturbing the present Constitutional frame.

“Official Language cannot necessarily be equated with National Language. Both definitely can be separate,” the petition said.

“This can happen simply by an Act or an executive order, without disturbing the present Constitutional frame. Official Language cannot necessarily be equated with national language. Both definitely can be separate,” he argued in the PIL.

“India should learn from Israel who in 1948, made Hebrew, considered to be a dead Language for the last 2000 years, along with English as the official/national language of Israel,” the petition said, adding that the move would not face any opposition from any of the religions or castes

The plea said Sanskrit has “the biological scientific phonetic structure of Sanskrit, which develops the brain, rhythmical pronouncing and memorizing capacity in children”. Even former PM had said “the greatest treasure that India possesses is and what is her finest heritage, I would answer unhesitatingly that it is the Sanskrit Language literature and all that it contains,” the plea added.