Doyen of Sanskrit, Dogri literature dies

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 14

Prof Satya Pal Shrivatsa, known as Shakespeare of Jammu, died late Tuesday evening after a brief spell of illness at his Jammu residence. He was 85.

He was cremated this evening and people from all walks of life attended the funeral.

He was a father figure who taught hundreds of students every year during his career as a teacher in various colleges of the state and rose to become an author par excellence, whose books continue to inspire generations of Sanskrit and Dogri lovers.

One of his rarest qualities was that he was equally popular among the young as well as people of his age. He seemed to be comfortable with all generations even as the younger lot was drawn towards his literary achievements and affable personality. He was a teacher, student, friend and a guide to them.

An eminent scholar, he had a grip on Sanskrit like his mother tongue Dogri and also had an expansive knowledge of English literature. He wrote several books in Dogri and translated Shakespearean classics like “Macbeth”.

Professor Shrivasta was an original writer and encouraged the younger generation to explore new possibilities and carry out research in the literary world of classics. The master of oriental literature with a global outlook will be remembered forever through his works.

Meanwhile, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president GA Mir has condoled the death of Professor Shrivatsa, who is the father of senior journalist Manu Shrivatsa.

Mir prayed for peace to the departed soul and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the family members.

Other senior leaders of the party, including Madan Lal Sharma, Sham Lal Sharma, CLP leader Rigzin Jora, Raman Bhalla, MLC GN Monga, chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Kanta Bhan, Yogesh Sawhney, Shabir Khan, Manjit Singh, Vikram Malhotra, Manmohan Singh and Namrata Sharma too expressed shock over the demise of the writer.