The Ministry of Minority Affairs is mulling over a project that will study the links between Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit.

Several new chapters in the history of Vedic literature may unfurl in the near future as the Ministry of Minority Affairs is mulling over a project that will study the links between Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit.

CONFLUENCE AVESTAN AND VEDIC SANSKRIT

Termed as National project on Avestan Studies, the proposal is currently under consideration with the ministry. As per the proposal, Avestan, the sacred language of Zoroastrians with close links to Vedic Sanskrit, will be studied and researched from ancient times to know the confluence of both traditions.

The project aims to preserve, conserve and develop the Zoroastrian tradition of Avestan studies that will be majorly taken up by Delhi University. The government is planning to set up an advisory committee on the project consisting of two eminent individuals belonging to the Zoroastrian community and the vice-chancellor of Delhi University as the chairperson of the committee.

"We will be studying the links between both the cultures as they are believed to be similar. We may get to know several new things about Vedic Sanskrit. We will collaborate with other institutes and centres all over the country as well as abroad to conduct joint activities for any of the objectives of the project; to identify and give special attention to senior scholars and institutes working in the areas which are on the brink of extinction for want of patronage," said Prof Ramesh C Bhardwaj, director of the National project on Avestan Studies. Bhardwaj is also head, Department of Sanskrit at DU.

The areas studied will be modern scientific temper contained in both the traditions, especially in the disciplines of comparative religion, mythology, epigraphy, palaeography, astronomy, meteorology, environment science linguistics and history.

