THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “Everyone has the right to learn any language. Language is not a monopoly of any religion,” says
Aleena M H
, a Class XII student who won the first prize in
Sanskrit
elocution competition in the recently-concluded revenue district youth festival.
Her statement celebrating the rich pluralistic ethos of the state, comes in stark contrast to the vitriol that protesters have heaped on a Muslim assistant professor who was recently appointed to teach Sanskrit at
Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
“I was interested in learning Sanskrit and so, I started studying it from Class V. I would like to continue studying the language along with higher studies also,” said Aleena.
Aleena has also received an A Grade in
Arabic
poetry recitation competition. “I studied Arabic language in Madrasa till Class IV. And my mother helped me to understand the verses. But I am more confident with Sanskrit than with Arabic,” added Aleena.
The student of the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill in Thiruvananthapuram said she chose to learn Sanskrit when she was already studying Malayalam as the main subject. “In high school and higher secondary school, I selected Sanskrit as the second language,” said Aleena. “I read books in Sanskrit language available in the library and my teacher also helps me to understand poems and prose in Sanskrit. They gave me books to prepare for the competition. I speak in Sanskrit with my friends during school hours,” said Aleena, a resident of Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram, and daughter of Mohamed Haneefa and Subaida N K.
About the potest conducted by BHU students over appointment of a Muslim to teach Sanskrit, and the assumption that Sanskrit can only be a language of religion and not of literature and culture, she says: “It is sad.”
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