India’s Sanskrit speakers seek to revive ‘dead’ language

To go with 'India-History-Language-Sanskrit' FEATURE by Trudy Harris In this photograph taken on November 25, 2015, Indian participants attend a Sanskrit class at the Sanskrit Samvadshala on the outskirts of New Delhi. Sanskrit, the 4,000 year-old classical language, was traditionally used by Brahmin intellectuals and Hindu priests. Rarely spoken as a mother tongue in India, Sanskrit is often dismissed as a dead language. AFP PHOTO / SAJJAD HUSSAIN

NEW DELHI: In a tiny flat in a rundown alley in New Delhi, Rakesh Kumar Misra is working against the odds to bring India’s ancient Sanskrit language to the country’s millions.

The 4,000-year-old classical language was traditionally used by Brahmin intellectuals and Hindu priests. Rarely spoken as a mother tongue in India, Sanskrit is often dismissed as a dead language.