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{{Short description|Teacher of Sanskrit in Dublin, Ireland}}
'''Rutger Kortenhorst''' is a teacher of [[Sanskrit]] in John Scottus Senior School in [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]]. John Scottus School is a private school which has been teaching Sanskrit as a compulsory subject since its inception in 1986.<ref name="Embassy">{{cite web |title=Press Release- PM Modi's tribute to Rutger Kortenhorst on Mann Ki Baat (29.08.2021) |url=https://www.indianembassydublin.gov.in/docs/1630323146Mann%20Ki%20Baat%20Press%20Release.pdf |website=Embassy of India, Dublin, Ireland |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref> In 2022, the Government of India honored him with the [[Padma Shri]] award for his dedicated work to propagate the Sanskrit language in Ireland.<ref name="PadmaShri2022Images"/>

==Life and work==

Rutger Kortenhorst, who had his education at [[St Benildus College]], a catholic only boys' secondary school in Dublin, Ireland and at [[Trinity College Dublin]], became interested in the [[Advaita Vedanta]] [[philosophy]] when he was 21 years old and was studying at Trinity College Dublin. He was initiated to the world of Advaita Vedanta by reading ''[[The Ten Principal Upanishads]]'', an English translation of the ten principal [[Upanishads]] by the Irish poet [[W. B. Yeats]] published in 1938.<ref name="Insight">{{cite web |last1=Rutger Kortenhorst, Dublin |title=Journey with Sanskrit |url=https://www.schoolinsight.org/journey-with-sanskrit/ |website=Insight |date=28 May 2021 |publisher=School of Philosophy and Political Science |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref> About a year later, he began to read ''[[Vedic Mathematics]]'' a book written by the Indian monk [[Bharati Krishna Tirtha]] first published in 1965. All these kindled an interest in the Sanskrit language in Rutger Kortenhorst and he visited India several times to learn the Sanskrit language. He stayed as a guest of Dr Ramachandra Bhat in Veda Vijnana Gurukulam, [[Bangalore]] in the months of June and July in the years 2006 and 2007. Subsequently, he spent the period from June 2008 to August 2009 in the Gurukulam to develop a new method of teaching Sanskrit to children in the [[Western world]]. During this period, he also attended Sanskrit conversation camps at several places in India and spent a few fortnights with Dr Narendra in [[Sri Aurobindo Ashram]], [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]].<ref name="Insight"/><ref name="Embassy"/> Dr Narendra is in charge of the ''Sanskrit Karyalaya'', a unit of the Aurobindo Ashram established to promote and popularize a simple form of Sanskrit.<ref>{{cite web |title=SANSKRIT KARYALAYA |url=https://www.sabda.in/static/ZSAN.php |website=Sabda |publisher=SABDA, a unit of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department. |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref>

Since 2016, Rutger Kortenhorst is running a Junior Certificate Course on Wellbeing targeted at 12-15 years old children. The course is based on the principles of [[Ayurveda]], an alternative medicine system developed in the Indian subcontinent, and of [[Yoga]].<ref name="Embassy"/>

==Recognition: Padma Shri==

*In the year 2022, Government of India conferred the [[Padma Shri]] award, the third highest award in the Padma series of awards, on Rutger Kortenhorst for his distinguished service in the field of education and literature.<ref name="PadmaShri2022">{{cite web |title=Padma Awards 2022 |url=https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/padmaawardees2022.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125143803/https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/padmaawardees2022.pdf |archive-date=2022-01-25 |url-status=live|website=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref> The award is in recognition of his service as an "Irish Sanskrit Scholar promoting Ayurveda, Sanskrit and Yoga globally."<ref name="PadmaShri2022Images">{{cite web |title=Padma Awards 2022 |url=https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/AwardeeTickets2022.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129172910/https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/AwardeeTickets2022.aspx |archive-date=2022-01-29 |url-status=live|website=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref>

==Other prizes and recognitions==
*In the year 2020, Rutger Kortenhorst was awarded The World Sanskrit Prize by the [[Indian Council for Cultural Relations]].<ref name="Journey">{{cite web |last1=Rutger Kortenhorst |title=Journey with Sanskrit |url=https://www.schoolinsight.org/journey-with-sanskrit/ |website=School Insight |date=28 May 2021 |publisher=School of Philosophy and Economic Science |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ethna Dorman |title=World Sanskrit Award |url=https://practicalphilosophy.ie/posts/blog/world-sanskrit-award |website=School of Philosophy and Economic Science |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref>
*[[Narendra Modi]], [[Prime Minister of India]], paid tribute to Rutger Kortenhorst in the episode of the [[Mann Ki Baat]] programme broadcast on 29 August 2021.<ref name="Embassy"/> In the programme, Modi said: " . . . Recently, I got to know about many such people who are engaged in the inspirational work of teaching Sanskrit in foreign lands. One such person is Mr. Rutger Kortenhorst, a well-known Sanskrit scholar and teacher in Ireland who teaches Sanskrit to the children there. Sanskrit language also plays an important role in the strengthening of cultural relations between India and Ireland . . ."<ref>{{cite web |title=PM's address in the 80th Episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' |url=https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pms-address-in-the-80th-episode-of-mann-ki-baat/ |website=PMINDIA |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Padma Shri award recipients (2020–2029)#Padma Shri Award recipients in the year 2022|Padma Shri Award recipients in the year 2022]]

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/RutgerKortenhorst YouTube Channel of Rutger Kortenhorst] (This channel has videos of Sanskrit classes in John Scottus School and of children of the School chanting Upanishadic and other verses.)
*[https://www.vvgurukulam.org/?lang=en&i=1 Website of Veda Vijnana Gurukulam]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==Additional reading==

*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20141115215451/http://anudinam.org/2014/11/11/why-does-my-child-study-sanskrit-rutger-kortenhorst/ "Why does my child study Sanskrit?" A talk by Rutger Kortenhorst]}}
*[https://www.academia.edu/3963887/Why_we_do_Sanskrit "Why we do Sanskrit in this school?" by Rutger Kortenhorst]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}

[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature and education]]
[[Category:People educated at St Benildus College]]

Rutger Kortenhorst - Revision history

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