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Humour Sanskrit, Dad, & Mom And School Last Bench

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Thyagarajan, Jun 13, 2018.

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Jun 15, 2018 #11

Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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GeetaKashyap said: ↑

@Thyagarajan Sir,

I don't know Sanskrit and never had to learn it in all these years. When my son had to learn it in school as a compulsory subject, I hoped to pick it up a bit but...my son never enjoyed his Sanskrit lessons and he studied it strictly to score high marks. Looking at his disinterest, even I lost interest.

I feel bad that I don't even understand the basic shlokas I utter. When I tried to understand those shlokas, my logical mind refused to accept them. So I prefer my ignorance while chanting these few shlokas that I know. I am glad that God understands my sincerity, accepts my prayers and continues to love me.
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Thanks for being honest about what you feel and felt about Sanskrit as a language.
god for sure Ganesh would lend helping hand always in your endeavour as you always approach him with good for all and all for good. He will never be sceptical about your sincerity!
2. I do agree that many chant not only Sanskrit slokas but in other languages like kannada telugu Malayalam Marathi and hindhi.. But with Google uncle there to help, it would be one click away for knowing the meaning of the sloka in anylanguage that is close to your heart and the pleasure of chanting knowing the meaning adds to chanting pleasure. it may even break the monotony if slokas uttered mechanically.
3. yes now a days students are able to score even 100 % in languages such as French, Hindhi, Sanskrit etc., when studied under the third language option thanks to liberal assessment.
4. Even the basic prayer to Lord Ganesh "suklambharatharam.........." consists of His description His attire etc is easy to visualise while chanting if once attempt made to know the meaning.
Anyway as a student sitting in last bench as per alphabetical order I was comfortable with Sanskrit till I finished with schooling thanks to teacher Thiruvazhai ayyangar.
Regards.
God Bless.

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

#11

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Jun 15, 2018 #12

Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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sindmani said: ↑

True. Everything is mentioned in our ancient literature .for example Aircraft , surgery was conducted , about atoms and molecules , everything is mentioned .Bagavat githa can be used in management lessons. Thanks for the snippet.
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Well said sister @sindmani
There are couple of prominent publishing houses have come out with management lessons from not only epic Mahabharata but also from lots of Sanskrit stories.
I am glad you had almost agreed to what I intended at the concluding portion of my post.
Thanks and Regards.
God Bless.

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

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Jun 15, 2018 #13

Anusowmyan Gold IL'ite

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quite a big deal of info about sanskrit &sanskrit learning.

Now I 'm learning sanskrit through NON FORMAL SANSKRIT COURSE conducted by ministry of human resources development in various places through out the country.

Anusowmyan, Jun 15, 2018

Anusowmyan, Jun 15, 2018

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Jun 15, 2018 #14

Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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HazelPup said: ↑

Nice narration. ha ha ...

what a description

wow that’s really good. Never learnt Sanskrit.

Wherever we moved I happily sat at the last bench and within a weeks time I would be asked to read or recite and again will be moved to first bench. Exception was in college where we retained our last bench. I still remember our HODs reaction when she handed me the evaluated answer sheet looking at the paper and me with so much doubts and finally doubted her own correction. Ha ha .... what a moment it was. Thanks for refreshing my memories
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You have expressed your enjoying reading my post. Thanks.
In college, one is treated more of a gentleman and none would insist in a particular manner for sitting or at tiring! No such recitation of poems even in other languages. Once in a while if the student seemed to be sleepy or enjoying his or her slumber, some lecturer or professor would dare to disturb him and ask for some definition. In college it appears to be normal that some professors who had very poor estimate about few students delight them with super performance and some students exceptionally good Always In College exams performs miserably in final degree or university exams. I had given shock to the entire class and faculty of physics by securing first class and stood in front of them apologetically.
2. Last benchers considered as drag inthe classrooms but in practical life many last benchers in school and college have done reasonably well and some even become bench mark leaders of the industry they represent.
3. The advantage for teacher from front and for the last benchers are many fold.
Both can observe the emotion quotient of the class, like as to what is popping out from their half trousers, some even stealthily taking out snacks, some trying to eat groundnuts only by chewing, some passing on pea nuts.....etc.,
Thanks and Regards.
God Bless.

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

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Jun 15, 2018 #15

Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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Anusowmyan said: ↑

quite a big deal of info about sanskrit &sanskrit learning.

Now I 'm learning sanskrit through NON FORMAL SANSKRIT COURSE conducted by ministry of human resources development in various places through out the country.
Click to expand...

@jayasala42 would be or might be pleased.!
Thanks
Regards.
God Bless.

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

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Jun 15, 2018 #16

kkrish IL Hall of Fame

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@Thyagarajan

Thyagarajan said: ↑

In one of their search for most suitable language for dry advanced computer suitable for space exploration NASA Reported that Sanskrit is the only language with complete grammar.
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I believe you are referring to the Rick Briggs' paper on AI published in 1985 in the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI magazine),Titled "Knowledge Representation in Sanskrit and Artificial Intelligence" . Please note that it is a single paper published on that so far.
What Rick Briggs says is totally different from what has been interpreted.

Below is a quote from that article.
" This article demonstrates that a natural language can serve as an artificial language also…”

He chose Sanskrit only as a example which is quoted here from his paper.
"there is a widespread belief that natural languages are unsuitable for the transmission of many ideas that artificial languages can render with great precision and mathematical rigor. But this dichotomy, which has served as a premise underlying much work in the areas of linguistics and artificial intelligence, is a false one. There is at least one language, Sanskrit, which for the duration of almost 1000 years was a living spoken language with a considerable literature of its own. Besides works of literary value, there was a long philosophical and grammatical tradition that has continued to exist with undiminished vigor until the present century. Among the accomplishments of the grammarians can be reckoned a method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is identical not only in essence but in form with current work in Artificial Intelligence."

I checked the NASA website to find out if this is mentioned anywhere. I could not find it.
NASA is definitely not using Sanskrit for their programming.

My point is, why does not someone in India, say ISRO, use Sanskirt and develop a program for AI?

Let me stop here.

kkrish, Jun 15, 2018

kkrish, Jun 15, 2018

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Jun 15, 2018 #17

jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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Dear KKrish,
I was expecting someone to give this information.Happy that you have taken the initiative.It is a fact that many aspects have been kept as secrets and no attempt was made to share and spread.Many Ayurvedic and Siddha knowledge was kept between the families as though it was destined to be within precincts of those families only and Alas! we have lost many a treasure in this fashion.What is the use of glorified singing and doing Surya Namaskar after the vision is lost?The tendency of keeping certain things secret is very much there among Indians even now and we experience the after effect!

jayasala42

jayasala42, Jun 15, 2018

jayasala42, Jun 15, 2018

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Jun 15, 2018 #18

Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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Thanks for your elaborative response.
2. I think I should say that I stand corrected. Yes NASA Is not using it for any future or present SO PROG.
3. OF THE KNOWN languages only Sanskrit seemed to have complete grammar in its kitty and would find its use in future space programme. I am not sure from where I sourced the information recently.
Thanks once again for your suggestion about ISRO or kindred organisation to develop programme for AI using sanskrit.
Regards.
GOD BLESS US all always.

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

Thyagarajan, Jun 15, 2018

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Jun 16, 2018 #19

Star25 Gold IL'ite

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Thyagarajan said: ↑

Humour Sanskrit, Dad & Mom and School LAST bench

When our family shifted to a home at closer proximity to his office, he had given similar hardship. When admission in our new location for standard IV was available only in Telugu Medium of instruction, he had no other option but to admit me in that school knowing very well our mother tongue was Tamil.

Following day, beloved Dad gone hiding on long official tour. It was my mom who took my cause to her heart and taken up with the school headmaster which eventually lead me to Tamil medium.

Between shifting from Telugu to Tamil medium, hardly a fortnight had passed. This golden period was adequate to acquire and to be fluent in using unparliamentary words in Telugu thanks to Class teacher who often uttered those words with bloodshot eyes to intimidate and inculcate discipline among rebellious in class. He was always holding a cane in hand while reprimanding pupils.

Without knowing the purport of those Telugu words, regardless of my mood, I was cheerfully uttering those words indiscriminately both in presence of my mother and other elders at home and in outdoors too with my play-friends. When I wanted a cane, mom asked me “what for?" I told her that teacher holds a cane while uttering those nice words.

She got flabbergasted and astounded. Very next day, she hit with me school headmaster’s spacious chamber and convinced him politely and firmly about the need to shift me at once to Tamil medium.

I was in class sixth (then called FIRST form). IT WAS SANSKRIT class AND I was cursing my dad for having put me through the ordeal of learning a language which for himself was Greek and Latin. After all, we do not belong to priest or pundit class. Anyway I was destined to willy-nilly study Sanskrit.

I was wondering who could have recommended to my dad to choose for me second and third languages. Of all the people, dad consulted family priest and it was his recommendation I had to study Sanskrit .

The belief of dad was that it would besides help me perform hindu festival rituals, I would be adept with pronunciation of words in chanting daily Sahasranamam! Up to first lesson ajah (goat) and gajaha (elephant) - it was ok. Beyond that, learning turned ticklish as apart from Sanskrit class, nowhere else I could seek clarification or learn from others.

But mom tried to instil sense and made me love chanting and learning by heart the Sanskrit slokas which in turn impelled me to voluntarily join the temple-group that was every evening chanted the sahasranamam – a part of the great epic Mahabharata.

My Sanskrit teacher - a lanky lemon complexioned Dr. Thiruvazhi Ayyangar with ear studs and tuft of hair with bright namam - the symbol of religion -on his forehead always in traditional immaculate white attire look indefatigable. During roll call, he noticed the class pupils were not seated in alphabetical order as per the sequence names appear in the attendance register and directed us to be seated in alphabetical order. Accordingly pupils in the class all seated in alphabetical order.

The shlokas taught in previous class, he would insist that entire class to by heart it and in the next session, each student would stand and loudly recite it out. Students, one by one would stand with closed eyes, some loudly some hesitantly chant in varying tones.

Many would fumble and or mumble and teacher would in turn reprimand them for not putting in their best effort to learn properly. When he reprimands, the diamond ear studs would dangle and dazzle from his lobes.

In this process, some pupils were unhappy as their cronies now seated at a different place in the class room. I too in this switch, missed sitting close to my chums. From day one, this had become another reason for my cursing Dad and the Sanskrit.

I did not put any effort the previous evening to by heart the shloka, but sitting in the last row last bench helped me to learn flawless. When I had listened to each student of the class, one by one was repeating the poem loudly, I wrote it in Tamil and when my turn came, already I had by hearted and was able to recite with closed eyes loudly with confidence.

Approbation followed from the teacher from time to time boosted my belief that even “I Can”.
Only in later years I realised, how wrong I was in cursing Dad for choosing Sanskrit for me.

It was only after few years, I understood that discoveries and inventions and scientific data by western scientists were all already thought about hidden in the Sanskrit manuscripts or and in ancient palm leaves. Whatever now proclaimed about missiles and satellites, superman and genes etcetera, one would remember that those are already mentioned in our ancient Sanskrit texts in palm leaves and epics Ramayana & Mahabharata.
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Very nice narration sir as ever...you had reminded me of my school days ..I too had Sanskrit as my second language in my XI and XII standards.. Since I knew Hindu it was bit easy for me..i didn't know anything about the language and since many of them said we can score high marks I had to take it..and I am so happy that I got a great score as well still date it has helped me to by heart the mantras. Sometimes our parents decisions are the best for us...

Star25, Jun 16, 2018

Star25, Jun 16, 2018

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Jun 16, 2018 #20

Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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Star25 said: ↑

Very nice narration sir as ever...you had reminded me of my school days ..I too had Sanskrit as my second language in my XI and XII standards.. Since I knew Hindu it was bit easy for me..i didn't know anything about the language and since many of them said we can score high marks I had to take it..and I am so happy that I got a great score as well still date it has helped me to by heart the mantras. Sometimes our parents decisions are the best for us...
Click to expand...

glad that you liked the narration. You are right that knowing Hindi did help learning Sanskrit.
I agree many a times parents decision stood one good in the long run.
2. In case of wedlock too parents analysed pros and cons for long and the expert astrologer match and find for at least next 40 or 50 years taking into account life span the possible low and highs etc.
3. But with modern education and economies made parental decision turned complex and that puts young couples in disarray. Mine was arranged and I was lucky with very first bajji-sojii and after that no turning back and till day our sail never felt devoid of wind.
Regards.
GOD BLESS US all always.

Last edited: Jun 16, 2018

Thyagarajan, Jun 16, 2018

Thyagarajan, Jun 16, 2018

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