Tourists in mind, Kashi priests all set to master foreign languages | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Tourists in mind, Kashi priests all set to master foreign languages

Hindustan Times | By, Varanasi
Jan 14, 2016 01:35 PM IST

Pandas (priests) here will soon speak French, Spanish, Japanese, German and English, besides other Indian languages, in order to inform tourists, Indian and foreign, about the different pujas and rituals performed at the ghats as part of sodash sanskars (16 birth to death rituals).

Pandas (priests) here will soon speak French, Spanish, Japanese, German and English, besides other Indian languages, in order to inform tourists, Indian and foreign, about the different pujas and rituals performed at the ghats as part of sodash sanskars (16 birth to death rituals).

Experts from the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management will teach these languages to the selected pandas for a month.(Illustration: Jayanto)
Experts from the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management will teach these languages to the selected pandas for a month.(Illustration: Jayanto)

This will be made possible by the coaching they will receive under the union ministry of tourism’s plan to boost tourism.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

As per the plan, experts from the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) will teach these languages to the selected pandas for a month. The training programme will start with a batch of 50 pandas.

Prof Sandeep Kulshreshtha, director IITTM, told HT that, “the tourism ministry has approved the equipping of pandas with basics of foreign languages. Besides, they will also be taught Tamil, Telugu, Kannad, Oriya, Bengali, Punjabi, Rajasthani and Gujarati.”

Elaborating, Kulshreshtha said, “The pandas will be taught how to say welcome, sorry, thanks and other commonly used words. They will also be taught etiquettes and manners.”

“The behavioural training will equip the pandas with knowledge of handling persons from different parts of the world,” Kulshreshtha said, adding that dos and don’ts of non-verbal communication will also be part of the training.

“After completion of the training, its results will be evaluated before the plan is implemented across the country,” the professor said.

“A similar training was given to pandas in Jagannathpuri temple, Orissa, around two years ago,” he said.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Sudhir Kumar is Varanasi based senior staff correspondent.He covers all developments, politics, education--primary, secondary and higher -- crime, offbeat, tribes and human angle stories

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On