Samskritam Classes for Children in Seattle

Samskritam or Sanskrit is considered to be the mother of all Indian languages except Tamil. The influence of Samskritam is far reaching as most of ancient Indian literature is in Samskritam. Knowledge of Samskritam can be the key to open up the treasure chest of ancient Indian literature.

Samskrita Bharati is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching Samskritam so that the language is preserved for future generations. Started in India, Samskrita Bharathi has been active in the USA for a decade with several active chapters all over the country.

The Seattle chaper of Samskrita Bharathi is starting an innovative effort to teach Samskritam to children. Though it is a normal practice to begin teaching a language with basics in grammar, Samskrita Bharathi has taken a different approach in teaching Samskritam. Instead of starting with grammar, they use commonly spoken words in other languages derived from Samskritam to construct sentences in Samskirtam from day one. This approach, referred to as Sambhashana Samskritam or spoken Samskritam, proved to be very effective as most Indians have the ability to understand Samskritam due to large overlap of words between vernacular languages and Samskritam. Instead of getting bogged down with details of grammar, participants have fun in learning Samskritam while trying to speak. Interestingly, this is exactly the way a child learns to speak his/her mother tongue.

The minimum age requrement for children is 7 years. Classes are scheduled to begin on January 20th, 2008 and will meet weekly once from 2 PM to 3:30 PM. As a requirement, at least one parent should accompany the child during the class.

For more information or to register for classes, you can reach Samskrita Bharathi via email (Samskrita.bharati.seattle@gmail.com).

- A Seattle Desi Network Report