The Government’s decision to replace German with Sanskrit as the third language came even as the German Ambassador sought to reach out to the Indian Sanskrit teachers’ group, proposing more cultural exchanges to resolve the differences on the issue.
On Wednesday, Michael Steiner met members of Sanskrit Shikshak Sangh that has petitioned in the Supreme Court over preference of German language over Sanskrit in Kendriya Vidyalaya Schools. Among those present at the meeting were Dinanath Batra, Sanskrit Shikshak Sangh (SSS) president DK Jha, V Dayalu, General Secretary of SSS and Tulsi Ram Meena, Co-Secretary of SSS.
Shortly after his meeting, the German Ambassador tweeted about his “in-depth exchange with Sanskrit Shikshak Sangh leaders on Sanskrit and German in very friendly atmosphere.” Steiner claimed that the Sanskrit Shikshak Sangh supported his idea to organise by early 2015 a conference on Indo-Germanic language family.
It is learnt that the German side does not want to get involved in the controversy of replacing Sanskrit with foreign languages but it certainly sought more cooperation for promotion of both the languages.
The German Government has been actively pursuing the matter ever since the Human Resource Development Minister, Smriti Irani, termed teaching of German language as a Modern Indian literature as against the national education policy.
While Stein has been knocking all doors in New Delhi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders Summit in Brisbane. The Chancellor told Modi that India should work on a system where children can learn German in schools, to which Modi assured of looking into within the confines of the Indian system.