By Vivek Tripathi

Gonda (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 22 (IANS): At a time when protests against Citizenship Act and NRC have intensified across the country, a school in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh stands out in enabling its students, including Muslims, to learn Sanskrit.

Students, including Muslims of Vivekanand Sanskrit Higher Secondary School in Wazirganj of Gonda district, not only recite Sanskrit hymns with impeccable pronunciation, but also sing 'shloka' from the Bhagavad Gita with remarkable clarity. Hindu and Muslim students sit together to study Vedas, astrology, philosophy and Hindu rituals along with verses from the Gita.

About half-a-dozen Muslim students enrolled here recite the 'Gayatri Mantra' and Sanskrit verses with perfect ease. Their parents are proud of them.

Vivekanand Sanskrit Higher Secondary School is located next to the Wazirganj Development Block Headquarters on Gonda-Ayodhya Highway. At least seven Muslims students passed Class 10 exam with the Sanskrit language as a subject in 2018 and 2019 each.

Ashwani Kumar Singh, Principal, Sanskrit School, Wazirganj, told IANS: "This is a government-aided school. Though the school was established in 1981, Muslim students started enrolling from 1994. This year, out of a total of 132 students, 7 are Muslims. There is no discrimination here on the basis of religion."

Sahil Raza, a student studying here, said: "I have learnt by heart the 'shloka' of Gita and other Sanskrit verses. My parents want me to pursue further studies through Sanskrit, which is my favourite subject, too."

Another student said: "Sanskrit is the mother of all languages, so I have decided to study Sanskrit."

Most of the Muslim parents who send their wards to this school are farmers and daily wagers.