The candidate had applied for internship at the IKS division of AICTE and chosen Prof. Sampadananda Mishra, as her mentor. After the completion, she submitted the project to the IKS division of AICTE.

Internship title:- Role of Sanskrit Prosody and Phonetics in Speech Therapy (with special reference to Stammering)

Intern name:- Deekshita M. Student, MA, Samskrit, Dept. of Language and
Literary Studies, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Kerala

Mentor name:- SAMPADANANDA MISHRA
Director, Centre for Human Sciences, Rishihood University, Sonipat

Abstract

Speech is of paramount importance in life as that is the primary means by which one can express what is in their mind. Therefore, the right way of speaking or speech itself is very important. Globally almost 70 million people suffer from some form of stuttering or stammering. Stuttering and other such speech impairments severely undermine the sufferer‟s confidence and so early detection, treatment and prevention is crucial. This research is the first step in creating and implementing an Indian Knowledge System based speech therapy regime.

This paper explores employing the use of certain rhythmic mantras and slokas in order to treat stuttering and consequently explore the relationship between rhythm, brian and speech. This paper aims to prove the hypothesis that a sanskrit based speech therapy has certain advantages over contemporary speech therapy. The progress of two stuterrers were tracked using the Stuttering Severity Instrument (SSI) before and after regular chanting of the rhythmic mantras and slokas and significant improvements were reported by a qualified speech therapist. The authors have also interviewed and conducted case studies of stamerrers whose conditions have improved after regular chanting that was suggested by family or friends. The insights extracted from this, fortify the hypothesis that the Sanskrit language is the pivoting point for an IKS based speech therapy. The rhythm involved plays a key role in it.