Hyderabad: “The linguistic and cultural ties between Sanskrit and Urdu are deeply rooted and significant”, said Prof. Ishtiaque Ahmed, Registrar, Maulana Azad National Urdu University during the inaugural session of two-day Workshop “Introduction to Sanskrit for Urdu Medium students”, organized by the Department of Translation on March 07 & 08.
Continuing his address, Prof. Ishtiaque Ahmed said that a substantial portion of Urdu’s vocabulary and cultural capital, as well as its syntactic structure, is derived from Sanskrit. Consequently, acquiring basic Sanskrit language skills proves highly beneficial for Urdu medium students. He commended the department for hosting this crucial workshop, emphasizing that translation is an art that demands familiarity with linguistic and cultural elements across diverse languages.
Prof. Siddiqui Mohammad Mahmood, the OSD of the university added that individuals with a strong foundation in their native language find it easier to learn different languages. He highlighted the essence of Indian culture embedded in Sanskrit language and literature, where various moral values are imparted through poetry and dramas.
Dr. Sheikh Abdul Ghani, workshop resource person, emphasized that all languages are divinely created and learning any language should be devoid of prejudice. He highlighted Sanskrit as not just an Indian language but also an ancient global language.
Earlier, Dr. Syed Mahmood Kazmi, Head, Department of Translation welcomed the guests and workshop participants. Prof. Shugufta Shaheen, OSD 1 also shared her perspectives .
The workshop comprised eight sessions covering the fundamental skills of Sanskrit. Prof. Shams Al Huda Daryabadi, the acting dean, School of languages, Linguistics, and Indology presided over the closing session held on March 8. Prof. Mosarrat Jahan, Department of Urdu was the guest of honor. Workshop convener, Dr. Fahimuddin Ahmed, Associate Professor presented the workshop report. The certificates were also distributed to participants who successfully completed the workshop.