Launching Sanskrit Digest

Guess what's new in the online space for Sanskrit enthusiasts? Its an Online Digest, that can give you a morning dose of Sanskrit articles written by qualified writers.

"Sanskrit Voice Digest" is started as an honest effort to compile Sanskrit related blogs and articles under one roof. Currently, it has partnered with nearly 10 blog-authors and a few organizations. With its magazine-like layout, the Digest makes it easy for readers to keep tabs on all Sanskrit related articles in one place.

India is a nation of several Vedic scholars, Sanskrit pandits, and Religious gurus. The need of the hour is to educate the people (esp. the youth) about the wisdom conveyed in the ancient texts, and revive Sanskrit for the modern age. This is also the mission of "Sanskrit Voice". In the latest effort to bring all Sanskrit readers and bloggers together, we launched the "Digest" today on June 18, 2008.

In the first week, the Digest has articles in nearly 10 categories that revolve around Sanskrit. It includes "Sanskrit Quotes" written by Kiran Paranjape, who was awarded Indic Blogger Award for best blog in Sanskrit. The wonderful 'subhashitanis' that includes verses from Panchatantra, Bhartrihari's Nitishatakam, and Bhagavadgita are written by Karthik Raman.

In the past two years, blogging in Sanskrit has been well practiced by the pandits and students of Sanskrit. Blogger Himanshu Pota focuses on teaching Sanskrit via his blog "Learn Sanskrit". He told us that his blog shares his Sanskrit learning experience with other Sanskrit learners. He hopes this will encourage the learners to realise that one doesn't have to be a Panini to start reading, writing, and talking in Sanskrit.

The Digest also compiles the articles on Sanskrit literature written by Kannan Srininvas (the author of Book "Vedic Management") and Venetia Ansell (an English girl from Oxford University). Adding Sanatana Dharma to the context, we hope to pass the ancient wisdom, along with Sanskrit language.

The advances in web technology facilitates the creation of a virtual community just for Sanskrit enthusiasts. The RSS feeds, Widgets and Campaign buttons provide easy ways for readers to follow the updates, or learn Sanskrit glossary every day. You will find all these features packed in the parent site "Sanskrit Voice" hosted on http://sanskritvoice.com .

"Undoubtedly, it is the greatest language ever, and I feel that more initiatives to spread the language, in a written or spoken form, through blogs etc are always welcome", says Karthik Raman - a PhD student at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Real Education can give you a new personality

What we get in today's schools is not real education. The real education should help in the wholistic development of oneself. There is a lot more than academic knowledge. A school should teach its students how to differentiate the good and bad, develop their vision, give clarity to their purpose, shape-up their character, and make them fit to handle life as it comes.

I recently read an article about "Chinmaya Vidyalayas - Schools with a Difference" written by Swami Tejomayananda. It was very well said that it requires hard work from all the four - students, teachers, parents and the management for educating the child. They should be taught not only academic knowledge, but also some values and ideals that will remain with the students through out their lives. Here is an excerpt from his article...

"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything". If you don't stand by some principle, value or ideal in life, you will fall prey to the innumerable temptations that are sure to come your way. This can be best explained by two words - Compromise and Sacrifice. Compromise is giving up of higher ideal for the sake of a lesser thing. Whereas in sacrifice, one gives up the lower things for the sake of higher ideals. It is always the person with sacrifice who is respected, and not the person of compromises.

Here is another one that is so true... In success - we should have humility; And in failure - have the enthusiasm to go ahead. We should be like a "Rubber Ball" that bounces back with more force after a fall.

Education is not about acquiring knowledge alone. The real education is about acquiring the knowledge and utilizing it for good. Though we have the Nuclear Science that is capable of resolving the energy crisis of the world, many have effectively used it for destruction purposes only.

The parents should make an effort to teach their children higher values along with rich knowledge, and thus shape up tomorrow's ideal personalities.