Delhi CM Rekha Gupta calls Sanskrit the language “science” and “the most suitable computer”: “Even NASA scientists…”

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta claimed on Sunday (May 4, 2025) that Sanskrit is a “scientific” language, and even NASA acknowledged this – a claim that is usually supported by little evidence. Ms. Gupta delivered a speech about the closing ceremony of the capital's 10-day Sanskrit study plan.

“Even NASA scientists have written papers on Sanskrit and confirmed that this is a scientific language. It can be encoded in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computers,” she said.

Her assertions are likely based on a 1985 paper (the subsequent glory, with little follow-up) published in the journal AI. Titled Sanskrit and Knowledge Representatives in Artificial Intelligence, the paper was written by Rick Briggs, a researcher associated with NASA Ames Research Center, who attempted to demonstrate that “natural language can also be used as artificial language.”

In his paper, Mr. Briggs cites ancient Sanskrit grammarists who “completed” a method to interpret Sanskrit in an essentially and in the same way that currently works in artificial intelligence.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Gupta said it was social bias that regards foreign language fluency as a sign of intelligence while often refuting Sanskrit. “If our child is fluent in French, German or English, we think the child is very smart and proud of it. But it's no big deal when a child can speak Sanskrit with the same fluency,” she said.

Ms. Gupta believes that Sanskrit is not only the basis of Indian culture, but also an integral part of many Indian languages. She said: “Every state has a native language, but in fact, Sanskrit is our native language because every language descends from Sanskrit. Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Bengali, Cindyrham, Malayalam – these are all branches of Sanskrit.”

The BJP leader added: “If we want to be 'Vishva Guru' (world leader), then we must gain more knowledge through Sanskrit.” She also said the Delhi government will work to make the language more accessible, especially through public schools. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra also participated in the event.

The Delhi government, in partnership with the non-governmental organization Samskrita Bharati, held a free Sanskrit course from April 23 at 1,008 locations in city schools, colleges and temples, with two-hour sessions highlighting the basics of the language. Ms. Gupta said this effort was part of a broader effort to restore Sanskrit’s position in daily life and education.

(This story has not been edited by DNA staff and published from PTI).