World Sanskrit Day 2022

Context

World Sanskrit Day is celebrated on SawanPoornima in the Hindu calendar. As per the calendar, August 12 marks the occasion.

World Sanskrit Day honours the Sanskrit language and promotes its global acceptance.

Sanskrit is one of the earliest written languages in the world.
It was used to compose the Vedas and other Hindu religious texts.
Evolved from Proto-Indo-European dialects, Sanskrit has a special place in Indian history.
Many languages in India have been derived from Sanskrit.
This day is observed annually on the day known as Poornima in the Shravana month, as per the Hindu calendar which also corresponds to the sacred festival of RakshaBandhan.

Sir William Jones, a British orientalist and jurist, stated that Sanskrit is a better and more exciting language than Latin or Greek.

To teach new generations about the ancient Indian language, the Indian government decided to celebrate Sanskrit Diwas on RakshaBandhan Day in 1969.
The event honours the beginning of the Sanskrit language and calls on people to continue using it.
Sanskrit being the oldest language is significant in its authentic ways-

It is the language of ancient scholars like Valmiki, Aryabhatta, Kalidasa, Veda Vyas etc.
Being a rural Indian language, Sanskrit never left its roots in rural India.
Sanskrit crossed the borders of Vietnam and Cambodia and its way through people’s hearts.
The people of Uttarakhand have accepted and acknowledged Sanskrit as their official language.

The main goal of this day was to encourage the use of the Sanskrit language outside traditional puja mandaps — in casual conversation.
Additionally, Sanskrit Day is observed to raise awareness about it.
It captures the depth of Indian culture and has existed for centuries through folktales and stories.