Metro’s success story scripted in Sanskrit

‘Metrorailyanasya Aatmakatha’, reads the chapter headline, meaning ‘The Metro Story’.

‘Ahamasmi Metrorailyanam’, begins the story. The words mean ‘I am the Metro’.

The story is part of the

Sanskrit

textbook for class VIII in Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (

ICSE

) schools.

Students will learn the Metro’s history and how it became one of the most popular systems of public transport all around the world, in Sanskrit. The Metro’s journey has been traced from its debut in London Underground in 1863 to its entry to India and finally to Lucknow this September.

The new chapter is a brainchild of the head of the Sanskrit department of Vidyant PG College Prof Vijay Karan.

The book will be a part of the curriculum in ICSE schools across Delhi, Raipur, Bhopal, Indore, Lucknow and Patna, among other cities. The edition will be released soon.

“Sanskrit’s use is not just confined to paramparik shiksha (traditional education) but extends to disseminating knowledge about science and technology. The idea to include Metro’s story in a school textbook struck me when work on Lucknow Metro began,” says Karan.

The Sanskrit professor says the chapter comprises details about Metro’s journey throughout the world so that it is not confined to Lucknow, as the book would be read by students all over India.

“The connection between science and Sanskrit is known to the world. There are are many scientific words which originate from Sanskrit. The aim of the chapter is to make students learn the language not through old stories but through new scientific concepts,” he says.

The book also focuses on the contribution of ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan, who has spearheaded Metro projects in many Indian cities including Lucknow and Delhi.