Sanskrit Shloka Antyakshari
Antyakshari based on movie songs is a very popular game in India. Interestingly, this has a history of at least 2500 years. Known as Pratimālā, it is one of the sixty-four art forms mentioned in Vātsyāyana’s Kāmasūtra. In many traditional Sanskrit gurukula-s and pāṭhaśālā-s, this is one of the favourites and an essential annual competition.
Since most people, other than those from traditional backgrounds, are not aware of the existence of this art in ancient India, this programme was an attempt to introduce it to more people across the world.
Nine participants who secured top positions at the national level competitions in the last couple of years were invited to participate in this event. Though the programme was in the form of a competition no winners were picked as this programme was meant to popularise this art and entertain poetry lovers.
The programme, held on 16 August 2020, was streamed live on CVV’s YouTube channel and garnered a Live viewership of 1.4k viewers. Dr. Ramakrishna Pejathaya, Associate Professor from the School of Ethics, Governance, Culture and Social System, gave a brief introduction to Pratimālā with reference to the Kāmasūtra and its Jayamaṅgalā vyākhyā. He also moderated the programme along with Dr. Vinayaka Rajat Bhat, Assistant Professor and Head of the School of Vedic Knowledge Systems.
Invited Participants:
- Muthu Kumar, Madras Sanskrit College, Chennai
- Guruprasad S Hegade, Shri Shreemata Sanskrit College, Uttara Kannada
- Vasudha Neelamana, SreeSankaracharya, University of Sanskrit, Kalady
- Vinayaka Sharma, Central Sanskrit University, Garli Campus, Kangra
- Deepika Kaushal, Central Sanskrit University, Garli Campus, Kangra
- Sahadev Joshi, Shri Brahmarshi Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, Nadiad, Gujarat
- Nandlal, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, Katra, J&K
- Kumar S. Hegade, Shri Shreemata Sanskrit College, Uttara Kannada
- Shivam Joshi, Shri Brahmarshi Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, Nadiad, Gujarat
