MYSORE: It is believed to be the language of gods and once the lingua franca of the intellectual class in ancient India. A burning desire to keep the language alive coupled with a passion for journalism has made a senior journalist here try hard to keep a Sanskrit daily afloat.

From its press at Ramachandra Agrahara, Sudharma, the only Sanskrit daily in the country is catering to Sanskrit scholars, students and the like for the past 36 years without a break. Despatched mainly through post, the daily sells around 2,000 copies, and hardcore readers from across the country as well as a few abroad subscribe to it.

Sudharma editor K.V. Sampath Kumar told The Hindu that several readers had been patronising the paper since it was launched. The annual subscription of Rs. 250. Though the revenue from the paper was negligible, Mr. Sampath Kumar said he was bringing out the paper only because of his passion for journalism and to propagate the language.

The starting of the newspaper itself is interesting. The well-known Sanskrit scholar K.N. Varadaraja Iyengar, who had taken up publishing Sanskrit works, hit upon the idea of starting a newspaper in Sanskrit to make use of the Sanskrit types that was lying idle with him.

Despite scepticism expressed by many, Varadaraja Iyengar started the newspaper on July 14, 1970, to cater to scholars who desired to read a newspaper in the language they loved.

Incidentally, Varadaraja Iyengar later convinced the then Minister for Information and Broadcasting I.K. Gujral to start the daily Sanskrit bulletin on All India Radio.

It was a humble start from Ganapathi Totti in Maharaja's Sanskrit College, and today Sudharma is read at Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, academies, institutions, Kendriya Vidyalayas and public libraries in Jammu Kashmir, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Rajasthan and other parts of the country.

A few readers in Japan, the U.S. and other countries also subscribe to the paper.

Over the years, Sudharma has helped a number of readers to hone their language skills.For Mr. Sampath Kumar who undertakes odd job works in printing to keep the paper going, help has not come from any quarter. He said: "Every one who visits the newspaper office appreciate my effort, and provide only lip sympathy even as I struggle to keep the newspaper running."

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