New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is planning to implement a skill-based training programme for pandits and pujaris (Hindu priests) in India. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is set to implement this programme, keeping in mind that pandits are in demand not just in India but in Hindu communities across the globe.
A ministry official told ThePrint that the objective is to “sustain the Vedic culture and heritage of our country”, and that it is “imperative” that the government not only preserves the knowledge, but imparts it in the right way.
The official added that by skilling youth in this segment, the government will not only create more employment opportunities, but also formalise this unorganised sector.
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The curriculum
The ministry is planning to design a curriculum that will standardise the mantras and rituals performed in pujas and yagnas. This format-based training course will be designed to meet the standards of the National Skills Qualification Framework, a competency-based framework that organises all qualifications according to levels of knowledge, skill and aptitude. These levels, graded from one to 10, are defined in terms of learning outcomes which learners must possess, regardless of whether they are obtained through formal, non-formal or informal learning.
To ensure that everyone has access to this training programme, an important prerequisite will be the knowledge of Sanskrit and a keen interest in the field.
Although the locations for the skill centres have not been finalised yet, the first thought is to set them up in centres of Hindu culture like Mathura and Varanasi.
Rajaram Shukla, vice-chancellor of Varanasi’s Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, who came up with this idea and proposed it to the ministry, said it is important that training be imparted in tandem with the ‘shastriya paddhati’ (the system espoused by ancient texts).
Shukla also said the knowledge of correct vaastu shastra (the traditional Indian architectural system) and jyotish vidya (astrology) is essential for pandits, through which they can earn something like Rs 50,000 per month.
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