7 Day Workshop on Revival of Sharda concludes in Jawaharlal Nehru University today 15th February 2017
7 Day Workshop on Revival of Sharda concludes in Jawaharlal Nehru University today 15th February 2017
5th workshop on Revival of Sharda script concluded successfully today 15th February 2017 .It was held under the aegis of Agreement of Cooperation(AOC) signed by Millennium India Education Foundation(MIEF) and Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies(SCSS) Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi.
23 Sanskrit scholars from Jammu, Jaipur, and Delhi took part in the workshop. This was the first Level 2 workshop held in the JNU and during the workshop, participants were taught about word and sentence building and reading comprehension of manuscripts written in Sharada script. On the final day,an one hour examination was conducted in which students were asked to translate sentences in sharada script. All students who translated correctly in more than 70% of sentences,were given certificate of proficiency in sharada script writing . Besides certificate of participation was given to all the participants.
The workshop was graced by former Vice Chancellor of JNU Prof. Sudhir Sopory, Ms Balbir Verma Former Principle Director General of Income Tax dept. Govt.of India, Sh Raj Nehru Vice Chancellor Haryana Vishwakarma Skill Development University,Prof.S S Toshkhani eminent scholar in Sharada Script and Kashmir studies , Sh H L Wangnoo Sr.Advisor Millennium India Education Foundation, Prof. Girish Jha Chairperson SCSS JNU, Prof. Santosh Shukla SCSS JNU and Dr Kirti Kant Sharma Editor Kalanidhi Div. IGNCA . The workshop was conducted by Dr Kirti Kant Sharma who is an expert on many Indian scripts including Sharada.
The teaching material used during the workshop has been developed by Millennium India Education Foundation with the help of sharada experts particularly Prof.S S Toshkhani,Dr Kirti Kant Sharma, Prof.T N Ganju ,Amay Vaidya to name afew.
Speaking on the concluding day, Dr Uday Kakroo Director Millennium India Education Foundation (MIEF) informed that MIEF is starting 3 month certificate course in Sharada script learning jointly with Sanskrit Dept. Jammu University and 8 day workshop on Sharada script Level 1 learning program in a college in Delhi University North campus .Both these courses are commencing in March 2017. In addition to this ,Dr Kakroo informed that MIEF has shortlisted 3 manuscripts for transliteration in Devnagari and then translated.The proposal for support the activity is under consideration with IGNCA Ministry of Culture Govt.of India.
According to Dr Kakroo,thousands of manuscripts written in Sharada script are lying untranslated in various libraries and individuals in the country due to acute shortage of experts who could transliterate and then translate .
Sh H L Wangnoo dwelt upon the importance of reviving sharda script learning and how it will be useful in exposing the people world over to the cultural heritage hidden in the manuscripts written in this script.
Few pics are attached.
About Sharada script”
About Sharda Script: It is an ancient script that was developed in Kashmir Region around 7/8th Century AD .The script has its origin from Brahmi which was prevalent these days as medium of writing
In good old golden days ,Undivided Kashmir was known as Sharadadeesh and was seat of learning Sharda script. During . During the reign of Kanishka I, Sharada University in Kashmir was the largest academic institution in the entire region of Central Asia situated in Kishen Ganga valley of present day Pakistan Occupied Kashmir . The university besides imparting education in Buddhist religion, history, geography, structural science, logic and philosophy subjects also evolved its own script to be called as Sharda Script(lipi).
In its earlier forms it was widespread over the northwest parts of the Indian subcontinent and was the progenitor of the Gurmukhi script, but later it became restricted to Kashmir, where it was the principal means of writing until the 20th century.
Thousands of books on art and culture,religion,science,etc.have been written in this script and most of these manuscripts lying in university libraries in Jammu & Kashmir,IGNCA,Central Library ,and in foreign libraries are lying untranslated being preserved as Indian heritage of Kashmir .
Today,the script is being used as text by Kashmiri Pandit community in their religious books, scriptures, horoscopes,etc. and it is fast facing virtual extinction because the script is not being taught anywhere in the India /world as far as we know, and the people who have knowledge about this script are fast aging and leaving this materialistic world.
Sharda script was very much prevalent in India and South East Asia countries and inscriptions are found in Afghanistan, Indonesia,some part of Tibet,Kashmir Valley (Both Pak Occupied Kashmir and Indian side),HP etc.
The script is used for writing Sanskrit language and today thousands of manuscript written in this script on subjects ranging from religious books to art ,culture,science & technology to literature. Some of these manuscripts have been translated but majority is untranslated and lying in the libraries world over.
About Millennium India Education Foundation :
MIEF is a registered Delhi based trust formed in 2003. MIEF is the only NGO in the country(to the best of our knowledge ) who is working on revival of this ancient script.
As on this date,there are handful no of people who can write this script and most of these people belong to one particular community Kashmiri Pandits who are preserving this script.
MIEF has signed MOUs with SPl.Centre for Sanskrit Div. JNU, Sanskrit Depts of Mumbai Univ and Jammu Universities for taking up activities aimed at Revival of Sharda Script through capacity building programs, development of study material, transliteration and translation of manuscripts written in sharda etc.
Sofar 7 workshops have been conducted in Delhi/Mumbai and Jammu. and more than 300 Sanskrit scholars and other interested people have been trained.
