Washington: Harvard University’s Department of South Asian Studies has apologised for posting what it described as an “insensitive image” related to its Sanskrit programme, following criticism from sections of the Hindu community.
The department, in a statement Friday, said it “deeply regrets the posting of an insensitive image in relation to our Sanskrit program.”
“As a department, we have a long and celebrated history of teaching Sanskrit, and we remain committed to teaching the language and the great intellectual and cultural tradition it carries,” the statement said.
The department added that it was “reviewing our internal social media process to ensure future posts more accurately reflect the mission and values of the Department.”
It also sought to distance another Harvard entity from the controversy. “We would also like to clarify that the social media post in question has no connection whatsoever with The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, which is a separate and distinct entity at Harvard.”
“We note the statement issued by the Department of South Asian Studies regarding a recent poster image,” said the Mittal Institute.
Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) welcomed the official apology from the Department of South Asian Studies at Harvard.
“This is one of the rare moments where a university department has formally apologised for their Hinduphobic insensitivity!” it said.
“We are glad to see the department showing respect and appreciation for an ancient language that has made a huge impact on civilisations around the world,” the organisation said.
Harvard’s website describes Classical Sanskrit as “the transcultural, transregional language par excellence for the civilisations that have flourished in South Asia.”
“For its beauty and complexity, it has been called ‘the language of the gods.’ For nearly three millennia, South Asian seers and sovereigns, poets and philosophers, scholars and scientists composed texts of astonishing literary beauty and incredible logical rigor in Sanskrit,” the programme description states.
It adds: “The study of Sanskrit is therefore absolutely essential for unlocking the profundities and the complexities of the life of the mind and of the heart in classical South Asia.”
The department offers multiple levels of Sanskrit instruction. These include elementary, intermediate and advanced courses covering epic literature such as the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, as well as philosophical and literary texts.
The elementary course description says: “Sanskrit. It’s easier than you think! Unlock the depth and beauty of South Asia in only two semesters.” It adds that by the end of the academic year, students will be ready to read texts like the Mahābhārata and Bhagavad Gītā “with the aid of only a dictionary.”
Sanskrit holds a foundational place in India’s intellectual and religious traditions. Many classical Hindu, Buddhist and Jain texts were composed in the language. It has also shaped most modern South Asian languages. In recent years, debates over the representation of Hindu traditions in Western academia have drawn attention from diaspora groups in the United States and Canada.
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