Recently, Dr Gaurav Sharma made headlines after being elected as a Member of Parliament in New Zealand. His story is inspiring in all ways – a man hailing from Himachal Pradesh who migrated to New Zealand along with his family and was homeless in the country goes on to achieve a medical degree and finally become an MP!
According to The Indian Express, in his recent swearing-in ceremony, Dr Gaurav Sharma took his oath in Sanskrit, alongside Te Reo, the indigenous language of New Zealand.
He took to Facebook to upload a video of the ceremony and wrote:
“I learnt Sanskrit when I was in primary and middle school in India. Sanskrit is a 3500-year-old language from which many of the current Indian languages have originated. I have been told today that I am only the second person ever to take Oath/Affirmation in Sanskrit outside of India.”
The first person to take an oath in Sanskrit was the Surinamese President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, earlier this year.
Watch Dr Gaurav Sharma’s swearing-in ceremony here:
When he was asked by a few people online on why he didn’t choose to take his oath in Hindi instead, the MP said:
To be honest I did think of that, but then there was the question of doing it in Pahari (my first language) or Punjabi. Hard to keep everyone happy. Sanskrit made sense as it pays homage to all the Indian languages (including the many I can’t speak) https://t.co/q1A3eb27z3
— Dr Gaurav Sharma MP (@gmsharmanz) November 25, 2020
To see Indian-ness being represented in a foreign platform is indeed heartwarming, isn’t it?