Indian grammatical tradition key to India’s knowledge heritage, say scholars - The HinduUpdated - September 15, 2026 06:32 pm IST - MYSURUCIIL director Basavaraja Kodagunti and others with the participants of the two-week orientation programme on ‘Indian Grammatical Tradition’, held at the Central Institute of Indian Languages in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: Special ArrangementThe rich and diverse traditions of Indian grammatical thought hold an important place in the country’s intellectual and knowledge heritage and must be meaningfully integrated into contemporary teaching, research and language technology, said scholars at the valedictory function of a two-week orientation programme organised by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) in Mysuru.The two-week orientation programme on ‘Indian Grammatical Tradition’ concluded at the institute’s Preview Theatre on September 14 (Monday), bringing together scholars, researchers and language practitioners from across the country for an intensive academic engagement with India’s centuries-old grammatical traditions.CIIL director Basavaraja Kodagunti said grammar should not be understood merely as a framework of linguistic rules, but as a comprehensive knowledge tradition with deep connections to philosophy, psychology, sociology, science and culture.He urged the participants to carry the insights gained during the programme into their respective academic and professional domains and contribute to the advancement of Indian languages and society.Prof. Kodagunti said CIIL would explore organising more workshops, training programmes and seminars to encourage sustained interaction among different Indian grammatical schools, languages and disciplines. Such initiatives, he said, could also foster meaningful dialogue between traditional grammatical studies and contemporary fields such as computer science and mathematics.M.A. Alwar, professor of Nyaya at Maharaja Sanskrit College, Mysuru, and Head of the Samskriti Foundation, Mysuru, was the guest speaker and underlined the continuing relevance of Indian grammatical thought to modern linguistic inquiry. Referring to semantic and syntactic analysis, he observed that several questions being examined by contemporary linguistics had been addressed by Indian scholars centuries ago. Prof. Alwar emphasised that Indian knowledge systems are inherently interconnected and therefore need to be approached holistically rather than studied as isolated domains.Pankaj Dwivedi, assistant director (admin.), CIIL, said the programme had exposed participants to the varied dimensions of Indian grammatical traditions and encouraged them to apply the knowledge in their teaching and research. He described the programme as a beginning and called for more such academic initiatives by CIIL.Sujoy Sarkar, officer-in-charge, SPPEL, CIIL, and programme coordinator, expressed gratitude to the resource persons, participants and organising team for their contributions to the successful conduct of the programme. Participants who attended both online and in person shared their feedback and reflections, highlighting the programme’s academic value and its role in broadening their understanding of Indian grammatical traditions.The two-week programme featured 50 academic sessions conducted by 22 experts from Central and State universities, IITs, IIITs and CIIL. A total of 152 participants attended the programme, both online and in person, representing universities, higher educational institutions and language research institutes from across the country.Published - September 15, 2026 06:31 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }