Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded an effort to make cricket commentary in Sanskrit popular. He shared the now-viral video of the boy, who is heard commentating in the ancient Indian language during a gully cricket match.
The prime minister said the boy’s effort was “heartening” and shared a similar example of Sanskrit commentary during a cricket match in Kashi, which he had shared during an episode of ‘Mann ki Baat’ last year.
“This is heartening to see…Congrats to those undertaking this effort. During one of the #MannKiBaat programmes last year I had shared a similar effort in Kashi. Sharing that as well,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
This is heartening to see…Congrats to those undertaking this effort.
During one of the #MannKiBaat programmes last year I had shared a similar effort in Kashi. Sharing that as well. https://t.co/bEmz0u4XvO https://t.co/A2ZdclTTR7
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 4, 2022
While there are numerous videos of gully cricket displaying some fine sporting talent in India, there are few that showcase commentary and, that too, in a language not widely used as a medium of communication.
The whole idea of commentary is to connect with the masses watching the game. Popular cricket commentators have managed to garner their own fan base through their voice and knowledge of the sport.
In the viral video, a boy is heard speaking fluent Sanskrit and being egged on by two others watching the game and even exchanging a few words in Sanskrit. The Twitter user, Lakshmi Narayana BS has tagged the video as “Sanskrit and cricket”.
The video went viral in no time and social media users expressed awe at the commentator’s fluency in Sanskrit. There were fans who even wanted to know the Sanskrit term for “out”, while others said they had heard informal communication in the language for the first time through this video.
According to data from the 2011 Census, less than 0.002 per cent of the Indian population speaks Sanskrit. Only 24,821 people in India have Sanskrit as their mother tongue. The number was 14,135 in the 2001 Census, so there is a considerable rise in the number of speakers.
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