NASA Declares Sanskrit Best Language For Computer Coding
Well. Not really.
But lots of people think so, including members of our government. Here's why 🧵
Well. Not really.
But lots of people think so, including members of our government. Here's why 🧵
“CONGRATS!!!
Sanskrit is the BEST language for computer programming, according to NASA.
Proving again that Hindu religion has most scientific basis. 🙏🙏💪💐💐 🤩 "
It's a common claim in WhatsApp forwards that Sanskrit is the perfect language for computer programming and AI.
Sanskrit is the BEST language for computer programming, according to NASA.
Proving again that Hindu religion has most scientific basis. 🙏🙏💪💐💐 🤩 "
It's a common claim in WhatsApp forwards that Sanskrit is the perfect language for computer programming and AI.
++ These viral claims have been validated in speeches by politicians and ministers.
"Scholars believe that the grammar of Sanskrit is the most appropriate to write algorithms," President Ram Nath Kovind said in 2018.
"NASA believes Sanskrit is the most scientific language for programming," Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said in 2019.
"NASA believes Sanskrit is the most scientific language for programming," Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said in 2019.
It's true that Sanskrit is a highly complex, structured language.
Most of the credit for this goes to Panini, a Sanskrit grammarian who’s thought to have lived between 600 and 400 BC.
Most of the credit for this goes to Panini, a Sanskrit grammarian who’s thought to have lived between 600 and 400 BC.
His Ashtadhyayi is a treatise containing 3976 rules describing how the spoken language of the time operated.
Cut to thousands of years later:
In the 1950s and 60s, two men (American and Danish) created the Backus-Naur Form, a method of generating formal computer languages.
It mirrored Panini’s algorithmic view of language.
BUT: they'd created it completely independently.
In the 1950s and 60s, two men (American and Danish) created the Backus-Naur Form, a method of generating formal computer languages.
It mirrored Panini’s algorithmic view of language.
BUT: they'd created it completely independently.
Until the 80s, researchers were obsessing over ways to make AI understand English by teaching it the rules of grammar—an approach called 'Symbolic AI.'
A research paper from 1985 argued that the strict structure of Sanskrit would allow it to be processed more easily by machines.
A research paper from 1985 argued that the strict structure of Sanskrit would allow it to be processed more easily by machines.
That paper was written by one Rick Briggs, a NASA employee.
It was a compelling thought at the time.
But since, Symbolic AI has been retired in favour of more powerful data-driven methods.
So much so that the approach is now termed GOFAI or Good Old-Fashioned AI.
It was a compelling thought at the time.
But since, Symbolic AI has been retired in favour of more powerful data-driven methods.
So much so that the approach is now termed GOFAI or Good Old-Fashioned AI.
Today, Deep Learning powers most AI applications in common use, including Google Translate.
And nothing, not Panini's Sanskrit nor even the structure of English, come into play in that.
And nothing, not Panini's Sanskrit nor even the structure of English, come into play in that.
What about the viral claims of Sanskrit being perfect for AI, then?
Deepak Kumar, a computer science professor from Pennsylvania, thinks such claims are being “kept alive by people who are really passionate about Sanskrit.”
Deepak Kumar, a computer science professor from Pennsylvania, thinks such claims are being “kept alive by people who are really passionate about Sanskrit.”
But the early engines Sanskrit had similarities to were, he says, “toy systems.”
Monojit Choudhury, a scientist at Microsoft, cautions: the rest of the world is having a “revolution” in Deep Learning. "If we don't jump into that boat, we will lag further behind."
Monojit Choudhury, a scientist at Microsoft, cautions: the rest of the world is having a “revolution” in Deep Learning. "If we don't jump into that boat, we will lag further behind."
But these narratives continue to spread—and have real implications.
In 2020, it was revealed that the Union HRD ministry had spent ₹643 crore over three years on promoting Sanskrit.
Government expenditure on the environment in those three years amounted to ₹608 crore.
In 2020, it was revealed that the Union HRD ministry had spent ₹643 crore over three years on promoting Sanskrit.
Government expenditure on the environment in those three years amounted to ₹608 crore.
In this story, @ramachandranesk dives deep into the world of Sanskrit and tech, and unravels the turns of history that shaped India’s current approach to technology.
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