What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Sanskrit? mantras and slokas that you have heard in prayers?  An idea of a language of the Gods - beautiful, yet difficult to understand?  Something that is awesome and mysterious, and therefore, inaccessible?

Well, think again.  Imagine over hundred people in the United States speaking in Sanskrit all day long, right from performing yoga in the morning to playing Frisbee.  Had you been with me at Samskrita Bharati’s annual family camp during the labor-day weekend, you would have witnessed this in person.

Camp Jaahnavii 2007 was an eye-opener for me. It was an awe-inspiring experience. Organized by Samskrita Bharati, a non-profit volunteer organization, the “Speak Sanskrit” movement conducts annual summer residential family camps (named Jaahnavii this year) that bring people together for the express purpose of learning, speaking, and preserving Sanskrit.  Samskrita Bharati’s camps in the US, which commenced in 2000, are all named after the various tributaries of the Ganga, and veritably represent a Samskrita-Ganga flowing across the US.  

Camp Jaahnavii was steeped in Indian culture expressed through Sanskrit, and I found it extremely revitalizing. The campsite, though located in the heart of Edison, New Jersey, successfully created an ambience of being away from the mundane demands of everyday life.  We were immersed in an atmosphere conducive to learning with genuine interest. A typical day at the camp began at 6:30 a.m. with invocations to the Sun, Mother Earth and other divine powers that sustain us through the day, followed by a yoga session.  A quick breakfast got us energized for the classes that started at 9 a.m.  (Actually the day started unraveling when I was awakened by the words ‘suprabhaatam’ called out gently by somebody trying to alert us to the fact that it was 5:30 am).

Classes covered the entire gamut of fluency – catering to those who had no knowledge of Sanskrit as also to those who had spent a couple of years on it. There were 4 hours of formal classes and an hour of reality-check during the day, punctuated by lunch and other breaks. Games were held from 5 pm. to 6 pm. At 6:30 pm there was a bhajan session, followed by intellectual discussions that offered food for thought.  Immediately thereafter, we had dinner and impromptu entertainment programs staged by the participants.

It was humbling and inspiring for me to hear everyone from kids to grandparents speaking in a language that has been dubbed ‘ancient and arcane.’  Participants constantly surprised themselves by learning enough Sanskrit in four days to carry out an entire conversation in the language. In particular, I was amazed at how much Sanskrit I could understand without having had any formal training. Sri Chamu Krishna Sastry, one of the founders of Samskrita Bharati explained, “Most Indian languages are so steeped in Sanskrit that we unknowingly use words from Sanskrit in our mother tongues.  Learning Sanskrit actually comes naturally to us.” Conversations in the camp were interspersed with laughter as people put into practice their recent lessons.  I found great joy in being completely free to make mistakes and enjoyed the learning experience.

Many of my fellow participants who came as families, found the camp to be the most wholesome family outing they had had in several years. Not only were they learning together, but children, parents and grandparents were interacting at a similar level with a common passion.  The camp drove home the point of wisdom inherent in ancient Indian culture, and how even today, it can help integrate our lives into a more nourishing and enriching whole.

For me, the turning point of the camp was the message – “As with people, you can either respect or love languages. Respect causes you to bow down and revere from a distance, whereas love elevates you and envelops you in its warm embrace. Which of these do you want Sanskrit to be?”

More information about Samskrita Bharati’s activities and Camp Jaahnavii can be found at http://www.samskrita-bharati.org and http://jaahnavii2007.org. More about ongoing Samskritam activities and classes may be found at http://www.speaksanskrit.org.

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