Deccan Herald
Three Honoured with Prakrit Jnanabharathi International Award
Hampana urges govt to promote Prakrit
Shravanabelagola (Hassan), Oct 14, DH News Service:
Noted writer Nadoja Dr Hampa Nagarajaiah on Thursday called upon the Union Govenrment to declare 2011-12 as a year of Prakrit and establish five prakrit universities across the country allocating Rs 100 crore.
Delivering his valedictory address at the international seminar on Prakrit and the presentation of the Prakrith Jnanabharathi International award ceremony here, he said the scholars should bring pressure upon the Centre to set up prakrit universities in all the four corners of the Country and also in Central India.
“There is need for Govenrment’s support and promotion for the revival of the Prakrit language. Any language do not require government support for its survival as a language flourishes when people use it and undertake research works. Prakrit is an example for it. But, the revival of Prakrit needs the government’s support,” he opined.
He added that the language would automatically get a fillip and grow when the Universities are established. Many varsities in the World have prakrit language as one of their subjects. There is a wide scope for research on the language. The seminar has provided a forum to discuss the important issues concerning the language. The seminar has brought to fore that the language was on the path of degeneration. Everyone concerned with the language should join hands and come together to preserve the language and rich heritage, he stated.
Nagarajaiah regretted that the Prakrit was not at all the priority for Governments. “Nobody has intention to degrade Sanskrit before Prakrit. Both languages have a lot of similarity and should go together. The institutes working on ancient languages have drastically come down in recent years, he said. On the occasion, Justice Ajith Kabbina of Karnataka Administrative Tribunal honoured three personalities with the Prakrith Jnanabharathi International award. Dr Ramraj Jain of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Nalini Balbir of France and Prof. Adelheid Mette were honoured with the award for the year 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively in recognition of their services to the language research.
The award carried a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh and plaque. Sri Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swamiji of Shravanabelagola kshetra graced the occasion. Jithendra Kumar of Bahubali Prakrit Vidyapeetha Trust were present.