The Asian Age

Muslim Sanskrit scholar offers free tuitions

- AMITA VERMA

Hayatullah, 75, offers ‘ namaaz’ five times a day and is a devout Muslim. What sets him apart from the crowd is the fact that he is also proficient in Sanskrit and in the four Vedas which has earned him the epithet ‘ Chaturvedi’.

Hayatullah ‘ Chaturvedi’ is a resident of Chhita Harraipur village in Kaushambhi district. Before retiring in 2003, he was a teacher in Hindi and Sanskrit in M. R. Sherwani Inter College in Allahabad. After retirement, he continues to offer free tuitions in the language to students.

“A language cannot be linked to a religion, Sanskrit has always fascinated me. Contrary to what people think, Sanskrit is easy to learn and understand. I have written several books that make learning Sanskrit easy but the government should also promote the language,” 75- year- old Hayatullah said.

Interestin­gly, Hayatullah ‘ Chaturvedi’ is equally proficient in English, Urdu and Hindi as he is in Sanskrit.

“I am a Muslim and I have read the Quran. Some people in our community are wrongly interpreti­ng the mean of ‘ Jihad’ which actually means a ‘ Dharam Yuddha’ like ‘ Mahabharat’ for protection of humanity.”

“Basically, there is no difference between what the Quran teaches and what the four Vedas say,” Hayatullah a resident of Chhita Harraipur Kaushambhi district stated.

Asked about the secret of his health, Hayatullah ‘ Chaturvedi’ who offers ‘ namaaz’ five times a day and is a devout Muslim said that he had turned vegetarian decades ago and this has helped him keep fit.

Hayatullah is proficient in Sanskrit and in the four Vedas which has earned him the epithet

‘ Chaturvedi’

◗ He is a resident of Chhita Harraipur village and is equally proficient in English, Urdu and Hindi

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India