Deven S Khatri: Meet the man who is on a quest to revive Sanskrit readership in India

By Nithin Sridhar

While Sanskrit is considered a 'dead language', a group of people in Delhi have taken it upon themselves to revive and restore Sanskrit to its ancient glory. After successfully running Sajal Sandesh– one of the few weeklies published in Sanskrit, they are gearing up to start a multi-page daily newspaper in Sanskrit.

In an exclusive interview with NewsGram, Deven S Khatri, co-editor and one of the founding members of Sajal Sandesh, shared his experiences in running Sajal Sandesh.

Excerpts:

Nithin Sridhar: Sajal Sandesh is one of the few weeklies published in Sanskrit in India. Can you tell us more about it? When was it started? Who are the people behind it?

Deven S Khatri: Sajal Sandesh was started on Vaishaka Sukla Akshaya Tritiya, i.e. on 13th May 2013 by a group of Sanskrit enthusiasts with an intention to spread the language worldwide. Many people from very diverse backgrounds have contributed to this initiative. Apart from myself, we have Pandit Rakesh Kumar Mishra, our editor who has done MA-Sanskrit from Delhi University, and Mr. Manishi Kumar Sinha who is a Senior Advocate in the Delhi High Court. We also have a group of volunteers who are working in various states.

NS: How are the weekly's finances managed? Any support from the government?

DK: It is largely funded by individual donations. I and other founding members also invest our funds in the weekly. We have received no government assistance till now. Though we have been awarded DAVP (Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity) status from the government, we are yet to receive any paid advertisements from them.

NS: What was the inspiration behind this initiative? Any incident or situation that resulted in this initiative being started?

DK: Two years ago, when Kendriya Vidyalaya decided to drop Sanskrit as an optional subject, I and other members of Sanskrit Lovers Group decided to start our own initiative to promote Sanskrit.

During the same period, when we visited the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus in Varanasi, we noticed that many foreign students were speaking fluently in Sanskrit. They were even chanting various Vedic Suktas (Vedic Hymns). After witnessing this, we decided to start the weekly so that Sanskrit could be popularized among Indians as a common man's language.

NS: How was the experience of running a Sanskrit weekly in India? What challenges did you face?

DK: Well, the experience has been amazing, but we did face many challenges in the beginning. Initially, we found it hard to acquire the news and get it translated into Sanskrit. We also faced some issues while printing the news in Sanskrit, as certain letters are absent in Hindi fonts. But the biggest challenge was in tackling the apathy shown towards the idea of Sanskrit weekly by certain government bodies, organizations, and people who were otherwise advocates of Sanskrit. One by one we have successfully overcome these challenges.

NS: How much circulation do you have on average? Who is the targeted audience?

DK: At present we publish around 25,000 copies every week. We regularly keep getting emails, phone calls, and references for new subscriptions. Though we intend to take the weekly to every home, as of now our main target groups are universities, various government bodies, Sanskrit organizations, temples and gurukulams (traditional Sanskrit schools). We also have a small number of individual subscribers.

NS: What is the response from the readers?

DK: We have had a tremendous response from the people. Common people have welcomed this initiative. I have witnessed many people treating the weekly as a holy book. The response from the students in the universities has been very encouraging as well.

Many people realize the importance of Sanskrit and treat it as a mother to Indian culture and humanity. They have subscribed to our newspaper with this sentiment and respect, though they are not able to read Sanskrit.

NS: Can you tell us about the name Sajal Sandesh? Any special reason for choosing that name?

DK: Sajal Sandesh means "pure message". Along with the news, we want to impart pure values, hence the name Sajal Sandesh.

NS: After launching a successful Sanskrit weekly, now you are about to launch a multi-page daily. So what comes after this? Any long term vision?

DK: Well, our intention is to spread Sanskrit and make it a common man's language in India. So, we do have plans to upgrade and expand our current operations over next few years, and we also plan to explore other initiatives that can be taken up to spread Sanskrit.

NS: When was the idea to start multi-page daily conceived? When will the daily be launched? Have you finalized its name?

DK: Well, the desire to start a Sanskrit daily was present from the beginning itself. But, back then, we were not sure whether we would be able to manage it or not. But, now, with two years of experience in running a weekly, we are confident enough to take up this challenge. We have submitted our application to the RNI (Registrar of Newspapers for India) and hopefully we will be able to start the daily in the month of October, during the Navaraatri festival. We have thought of a few names, but it is for the RNI to finalize the name.

NS: Today, Sanskrit is largely perceived as a dead language. What is the role of Sanskrit in modern life? Do you see Sanskrit reviving and re-emerging in the coming future?

DK: I completely disagree with the tag "dead language" that is attached to Sanskrit. Although Sanskrit has been downgraded in India, in many countries like Germany, China, and USA, it is being taught at various universities. Even in India, it is still alive, though its presence is limited.

Sanskrit denotes the richest culture of India and has solutions to many modern day problems. It is a very ancient language, it is a Deva-Bhasha (language of the Gods), and it is like a mother who can impart knowledge about various aspects of life.

It is rich in its philosophy and spirituality, and can contribute to various areas of modern society like economics, medicine, etc. Today's society lacks basic human values like love, faith, kindness, respect, and honesty. And Sanskrit can deliver these values and enrich the society.

Therefore, we have accepted the challenge to revive and rejuvenate Sanskrit, so that it becomes a language of the common man, and we can restore India to its place of Vishwa-Guru (world-teacher).