Washington: Harvard University’s Department of South Asian Studies has issued an apology for posting an “insensitive image” tied to its Sanskrit program, after facing backlash from parts of the Hindu community.
In a statement released on Friday, the department expressed deep regret: “Deeply regrets the posting of an insensitive image in relation to our Sanskrit program.”
The department highlighted its storied legacy in Sanskrit education. “As a department, we have a long and celebrated history of teaching Sanskrit, and we remain committed to teaching the language and the great intellectual and cultural tradition it carries,” the statement read.
It also announced an internal review. The department is “reviewing our internal social media process to ensure future posts more accurately reflect the mission and values of the Department.”
To avoid confusion, the department clarified that the controversial post had no link to another Harvard body. “We would also like to clarify that the social media post in question has no connection whatsoever with The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, which is a separate and distinct entity at Harvard.”
The Mittal Institute confirmed this in its own note: “We note the statement issued by the Department of South Asian Studies regarding a recent poster image.”
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) hailed the apology as a positive step. “This is one of the rare moments where a university department has formally apologized for their Hinduphobic insensitivity!” the group stated.
CoHNA praised the department's stance. “We are glad to see the department showing respect and appreciation for an ancient language that has made a huge impact on civilizations around the world,” the organization added.
Harvard’s website portrays Classical Sanskrit as “the transcultural, transregional language par excellence for the civilizations that have flourished in South Asia.”
It describes the language glowingly: “For its beauty and complexity, it has been called ‘the language of the gods.’ For nearly three millennia, South Asian seers and sovereigns, poets and philosophers, scholars and scientists composed texts of astonishing literary beauty and incredible logical rigor in Sanskrit.”
The site stresses its importance: “The study of Sanskrit is therefore absolutely essential for unlocking the profundities and the complexities of the life of the mind and of the heart in classical South Asia.”
The department provides Sanskrit courses at various levels, from elementary to intermediate and advanced. These cover epic works like the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, alongside philosophical and literary texts.
The elementary course pitches Sanskrit accessibly: “Sanskrit. It’s easier than you think! Unlock the depth and beauty of South Asia in only two semesters.” It promises that by year's end, students can tackle texts such as the Mahābhārata and Bhagavad Gītā “with the aid of only a dictionary.”
Sanskrit occupies a central role in India's intellectual and religious heritage. Countless classical Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain texts originated in the language, and it has profoundly influenced most modern South Asian tongues. In recent years, diaspora communities in the United States and Canada have spotlighted debates about how Western academia portrays Hindu traditions.
(Inputs from IANS)