Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2015 - (Page 32)

My Sanskrit Yaatra i ndian and Hindu culture have been an important part of my life from the time I was born. When I was about seven years old, I started learning Vedic chants (chants and hymns from the Hindu scriptures), which inspired not only an appreciation for my culture but a growing interest in its origins and meaning. Over time, as I became more curious about the foundations of my culture and religion, I realized that the basis of it all was Sanskrit. Sanskrit is an ancient language of Indian origin. The word literally means "perfectly formed," referring to the language's very evolved word and grammar structure. Its influence is so widespread that Sanskrit is considered the mother of practically all Indian languages and is believed to have influenced many current and nonextant world languages. In fact, several eminent scholars and linguists argue that Sanskrit is as much a classical language as are Greek and Latin. By the time I finished middle school, I was expressing an interest in going beyond memorizing verses to truly learning the language. My family learned of a summer Sanskrit language immersion camp conducted by an organization called Samskrita Bharati, which seemed like the perfect way to begin studying the language. First Steps My Sanskrit journey, or yaatra, began the summer after my freshman year of high school with a one-week camp called Shraddha (the Sanskrit word for focus and determination) held at the Arsha Brahma Salutes Krishna, a folio from a Bhagavata Purana, India, Delhi region or Rajasthan, 1525-1550. 32 imagine by Suryateja Rao Vidya Gurukulam, a spiritual retreat in Pennsylvania. The camp began with an introductory session for the 50-60 students, followed by fun beginnings to the classes. The Sanskrit immersion began on day one. Students spoke in Sanskrit as much as possible, especially in class but also in social settings and during free periods. Of course, as beginners, we were quick to ask the teacher's help, consult the dictionary, or ask a friend for help-but no one was shy about trying. My classmates and I would eagerly raise our hands each time our teacher asked a question, and the excitement of answering a question correctly, in our own Sanskrit wording, increased our love for Sanskrit and our desire to learn it. The immersion experience was effective: We started with the basic Sanskrit letters and numbers; by the end of the week, we were writing plays and reading short stories in the language. For me, the highlight of the camp was the series of plays, songs, comedy skits, parodies, and cultural and religious skits that the students put on every night-all in Sanskrit-culminating in a grand performance at the end of the week for visitors and parents. These small-group performances forced us not only to speak in Sanskrit during the actual performance, but to think in Sanskrit to formulate the script. As we wrote them, we would pick up even more Sanskrit when we asked our teacher (in Sanskrit, of course) about grammatical structures or vocabulary we might need to convey a particular thought. As exciting as it was to learn in the classroom through games and questions, actually using the language in the form of a play was incredibly motivating and rewarding. Cycle of Growth After my positive experience at camp, I decided to enroll in Sanskrit as a Foreign Language, a three-year high school-level online program offered by Samskrita Bharati. This course developed my fluency in the language and made me love it even more. Every class exposed me to new words; for example, during lessons about nature, I would learn vocabulary such as agnijwaalaamukhi (volcano). I also picked up informal words, such as bhoH, a word that roughly translates to "man" or "dude," that could be used in conversation with my friends. Throughout the course, we worked in small groups on projects such as writing and performing skits, answering series of questions and putting together a speech based on the responses, and competing in fun Jeopardy!-style review games before exams and after difficult, vocabulary-laden sessions. Between the 90-minute May/June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2015

Big Picture
In My Own Words Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy, UC Berkeley
A Solar-Powered Solution to the Water Crisis Using the sun to purify water
The PolluCell Generating electricity using waste and pollution
More than a Race The Solar Car Challenge
Energy Agenda The power of teen research
Energized! A crash course in fuels of the future
Grease Is Good Helping the environment and the community with biofuel
Fueled by Algae Sara Volz and the powerful potential of pond scum
The Future of Energy Five careers in green power
My Sanskrit Yaatra Connecting with my culture through language
Devoted Awareness My internship with Until There’s a Cure
Selected Opportunities and Resources
Off the Shelf Review of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options Interview with green architect Andrew Thompson
One Step Ahead Six things incoming college students should know
Planning Ahead for College Developing your passions
Students Review: University of Pennsylvania
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2015