JAMMU, Feb 20: The three-day north zone youth festival for the promotion of Sanskrit commenced on Monday at Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, an official spokesman said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the festival ‘KSHITIJ’ at Spiritual Growth Centre, Katra, in which Sanskrit scholars of 10 institutes from seven states and Union territories are participating, he said.
The spokesman said the festival is being organized by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in collaboration with the Central Sanskrit University.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, Katra along with various campuses of Central Sanskrit University and Adarsh Maha Vidyalaya of Sanskrit, situated in J-K, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are participating in this mega event for the first time for the promotion of Sanskrit in the Union territory, he said.
Welcoming the Sanskrit scholars participating in the festival, the Lt Governor said, “Sanskrit is not only one of the oldest living languages of the world but also the greatest treasure of classic literature and knowledge in science and technology. This festival is a perfect opportunity to make the young generation aware of values and ideals that Sanskrit possesses.” He said the north zone youth festival would lead to a better understanding of the various aspects of Sanskrit studies and knowledge system.
“We are making efforts through flexible and non-formal Sanskrit courses to increase access of students to make it the language of the common man,” Sinha said.
He said it is the collective responsibility of all to popularise the Sanskrit language and preserve the treasure of science, spirituality, philosophy and culture.
The Lt Governor also lauded the efforts of various organisations and stakeholders like Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, Chudamani Sanskrit Sansthan, Mahant Rohit Shastri in promoting Sanskrit in J-K.
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