HIGH Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr K J Srinivasa, has formally launched ‘LITTLE GURU’, a specialised app for learning Sanskrit in Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis and Anguilla virtually through a Google meet video link. The link can be accessed at URL: https://meet.google.com/oap-kftn-krz, a release said
The app was launched in India by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on April 9, 2021, to commemorate the 71st ICCR Foundation Day.  Vikas Ramkissoon, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, joined the High Commissioner online during the launch in Guyana.
The dignitaries, in their speeches, emphasised the greatness of the Sanskrit language and suggested that all those interested in learning the language should utilise the app. They emphasised that Sanskrit language is the best pathway to Indian culture and encouraged youngsters to learn the language using the app for their better understanding and immersion into the Indian culture.

Sanskrit, the oldest language, continues to be a living language, being used daily in religious activities as well as by scholars in accessing literary texts for research work, etc. Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is promoting Sanskrit across the world by providing books and material to Sanskrit institutes. ICCR also deputes teachers and professors to universities and institutes for teaching Sanskrit. Over the past few years, ICCR has been receiving a large number of requests from across the world both from the Indian diaspora as well as foreigners interested in Sanskrit. Many of the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and other religious texts are in Sanskrit and there has been a great demand from such countries for assistance in learning the language. Within the diaspora community, the desire to stay connected with their roots, as well as to access the rich literary epics and texts of India, has attracted a huge demand for Sanskrit. A number of Sanskrit universities across the world have also been keen on an app which would help not only the students who are currently studying in these universities but also to act as a feeder for young scholars to learn Sanskrit before joining universities.

“Little Guru is a gamified app based on an interactive platform which will make Sanskrit learning easy, entertaining and fun. This app will help people who are already learning Sanskrit or those who are desirous to learn Sanskrit to do so in an easy manner based on games, competition, rewards, peer to peer interactions, etc. This unique app combines education with entertainment thereby helping keep attention of the learner as well as encourage him/her to advance further. ICCR is confident that the launch of this App ‘Little Guru’ will go a long way in popularising Sanskrit,” the release said. This app would help create awareness not only about language but also open the doors for people to access the rich cultural heritage of India. The developers of the app have provided the High Commission with ‘special promotional code’ for the people of Guyana for subscription at concessional prices to unlock the higher levels and learn advance techniques, the release from the Indian High Commission in Georgetown said . For more details, interested persons can contact the High Commission at edu.georgetown@mea.gov.in and/or telephone +592-226 3996 & 2268965.