This summer, MA graduate Sanju Baral received a scholarship to attend an intensive summer Sanskrit program in Pune, India. Read her story.

One of the meanings of the word Sanskrit is “adorned.” The word itself points to a certain beauty. I’ve been moved by the beauty of Sanskrit for a long time. This summer I got the chance to spend two months in an intensive Sanskrit language program in India. It was made possible through a generous scholarship from the University of Chicago for the American Institute of Indian Studies. Their Sanskrit Language Program was held this year in Pune, Maharashtra. 

Our cohort was a small group of six students from the University of Chicago, the University of Virginia, the University of California, Berkeley, and Dharma Realm Buddhist University. We all came from somewhat different backgrounds and language skills. At the beginning of the program, we each took a placement test and were grouped together accordingly. The program was delicately catered to each student’s needs. Each week, we wrote a Sanskrit journal and practiced listening comprehension through Sanskrit stories, poems, and conversations. We acted as various characters as we practiced speaking in Sanskrit. Most importantly, we did a ton of grammar reviews and translations from various Sanskrit literary sources. 

In an intensive program like this, there’s simply no escape from improvement. You’re doing Sanskrit 24/7 almost every day for two months. Most of us also lived together as cohorts along with a host family. We did our grammar drills together and supported each other as we navigated living in a new country. We also went on excursions to the ancient Ajanta and Ellora Caves, as well as to Vedic Ashrams in Pune. We saw Sanskrit inscriptions on one of the temples. 

For my final project, I interviewed a local Sanskrit theater group and wrote a report about them in Sanskrit. Then I presented my report in Sanskrit to my teachers and cohort. This was followed by a Q&A in Sanskrit. Now, after the conclusion of the program, I have gained confidence and clarity about where I am in terms of my Sanskrit language skill. I’ve been staying in Pune continuing my Sanskrit studies with Professor Thite at Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity, and deeply grateful to my two wonderful Sanskrit professors at DRBU, Doctors Lauren Bausch and Sean Kerr, who have been so kind in guiding me along the way. Currently, I’m also auditing a class on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Wonderful Dharma Lotus) Sūtra with Professor Mahesh Deokar at Pune University. We’re reading and translating from the Lotus Sūtra in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit Lotus text is very lucid. I’ve found it helpful to look at the translations of the sūtra from Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan side-by-side.