Nithya Ravichandran (63), is a prime example of how one can make a difference in other’s lives, even while following one’s own passion. The Thiruvanmiyur resident has been teaching Sanskrit to children from the neighbourhood and surrounding areas, for years without any remuneration.
She speaks to News Today, as to why she does what she loves. “I belong to an NGO called Samkrita Bharathi, which is into promoting Sanskrit language. Our main aim is conducting spoken classes for ten days and from there, take the students for certificate courses. We have four levels. We train all of them in all those levels.”
She learnt the language in 2005 and later attended a certificate course in 2007 and has been taking tuition classes for ten years. “The aim is to make the students speak in Sanskirt,” she says.
About learning languages, she states, “When you have to learn one, make it your spoken language. Once you learn to speak in it, learning becomes easy.”
Each of her batch consists of not more than 15 students, who range from the age group of ten to 75. The participants pay only for the books.
So what made her take up Sanskrit?
“I was born and brought up in Hyderabad. I had this fascination for Hindi, which I learnt in school. Once my children were married. I thought of learning Sanskrit. We recite slokas at poojas, so I thought why not understand their meaning, it as it will be more helpful. When I got an opportunity, I grabbed it,” she notes.
Having taught over 150 students, she says, the happiness lies in the ability to understand things better. “This is a voluntary service. The motive being to keep the language alive and promote it. It is a humbling experience. Apart from helping you understand religious texts, the other benefits are that it makes you a wholesome person, changing your attitude towards life,” she concludes.
She can be reached at 98407 30156.