Gujarat: Maharaja Sayajirao University's English department set to launch tenets of Sanatan literature

Students of Maharaja Sayajirao University will soon learn the tenets of 'Sanatan literature,' or the eternal way of life as prescribed in Hinduism.

In what is considered a first by any university in India, the varsity's department of English has introduced a course on Sanatan literature, which will mainly involve teachings from the post-Vedic treatises on Upanishads.

The department claims to be the first in the country to offer a course using the 'Sanatan' nomenclature.

In the 1950s, the department was known for its Shakespeare Society which used to stage English shows to packed audiences.

Since its inception in 1949, MS University's faculty of arts has been teaching English, German, Russian, and even French literature in BA and MA courses.

This will be a value-added course under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework for students enrolled in first-year BA from this academic year.

First-semester students will be taught stories based on 'Upanishads' as part of the course curriculum. As students transit to the next level, they will be taught Bhagwad Gita and other religious texts.

The curriculum includes the story of Nachiketa from 'Katho Upanishad' and stories from Chandogya Upnishad like those of Indra and Virochana, Svetaketu, Satyakama Jabala and Uddalaka and Shvetaketu.