Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SP)

New Delhi, Jan 24: The central government plans to equip people desirous of becoming priests (Archaks) with necessary skills through syllabus which covers puja and oblation procedures among others. For this, it proposes to utilize services of Skill Development Board. The government plans to create employment opportunities in India and abroad by developing skills of would be priests.

People from India living abroad many a time look for people with expertise to perform certain religious programmes and worships. With this plan of the government, many young people who acquire these skills will get to work at different places by bagging jobs there, it is being felt.

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Vedic culture: Speaking about the plan, an official of the skill development ministry said that this is an effort to conserve the culture of the country and traditions that have been preserved through generations since the Vedic period. The department not only plans to preserve these things but also enable the candidates to study the processes in an orderly manner. The official said that a syllabus would be formed, and training will be provided to the youngsters, and this will create new job opportunities.

Syllabus: The syllabus concerning this training will contain procedures of performing various kinds of pujas, oblations and other religious processes. The syllabus will conform to the rules pertaining to National Skill Eligibility. There is a proposal to rank the kills of the candidates between one and ten, depending on skill, capacity, knowledge in performing religious procedures etc. In all possibilities, Sanskrit knowledge will be made compulsory for these courses, as hymns and Shlokas are in this language.

The department said that so far no specific location has been chosen to impart these courses but Mathura and Varanasi could be preferred. It is said that chancellor of Sampoornananda Sanskrit University at Varanasi, Rajaram Shukla, has given the idea of beginning this new course to the central government. He feels that a person having knowledge of traditional construction technology, Vaastu and architecture compliance, astrology etc can earn not less than Rs 50,000 a month.