By Agastya Gupta
Sydney Sanskrit School is the first Sanskrit community language school located in the Southern Hemisphere.
The school was founded by parents who wished for Sanskrit and the ancient Vedic wisdom to thrive amongst the upcoming generations by providing a wide exposure to ancient texts and familiarising students with the ancient knowledge of Vedas, Yoga, Meditation, Spirituality, Culture and History. The school promotes the language of Sanskrit through fun ways.
It has been officially a decade since Sydney Sanskrit School have started to host the Paniniyam Grammar Camp. Paniniyam grammar camp is a camp for improving student’s speaking skills and grammar in Sanskrit. Students from Pre-Prathama, Prathama, Dwitiya, and Tritiya are selected to go to this prestigious camp and learn about Sanskrit grammar in depth.
Let’s decode the Paniniyam Grammar Camp. It was recently hosted at Heathcote Scout Camp in Heathcote under the expert and prestigious supervision and guidance of Dr. Meena Srinivasan (Principal of Sydney Sanskrit School), Meera Jagdeesh (Treasurer of Sydney Sanskrit School), Karthik Subramaniam (President of Sydney Sanskrit School) and with the Association of Haryanvi’s in Australia.
The Adventure Begins (Day 1):
Th Paninyam Grammar Camp 2025 kicked off by arriving at the camp site (Heathcote Scout Camp) at 8:45am followed by an inauguration ceremony by lighting lamps and chanting Ganesh Stotram. SSS were honoured to welcome David Moncrieff (Federal Member for Hughes), Charisma Kaliyanda (NSW MP for Liverpool), and Sewa Singh (President of the Association of Haryanvi’s in Australia).
All the students of respective grades i.e. Pre-Prathama, Prathama, Dwitiya, and Tritiya were grouped in a batch of 10-30 students. Students were directed to the respective grade classes where all the students were taught निरुक्त. The Dwitiya and Tritiya students were taught more complex topics such as identifying the, अन्त, लिङ्ग, वचन, विभक्ति, of words in Sanskrit. In the evening, we started off with some devotional Guruvashtakam, followed by the Dakshina Murthy Pooja led by Pandit Venkatraman.
There was an entertaining session in relation to the different Sanskrit playwrights, focusing mainly on how Bhāsa Mahākavi’s work in the Bhaāsanaatakachakram differ to other playwrights like Mahākavi Kālidāsa.
Day 1 was an exciting day considering it has given us a great base of some fundamental concepts of Sanskrit grammar. The teachers had worked hard to ensure all the students were prepared for the complex topics in Sanskrit Grammar. In the evening the dinner was served – which was Pav Bhaji – followed by the day’s conclusion in the dormitories.
Day 2 Synopsis:
On Day 2 started off with some rejuvenating yoga. We were taught how to sit in वज्रासन and how to make some मुद्राः. We were then met with some delicious breakfast and Dwitiya’s and Tritiya’s learning kicked off with some भूत ख्या and छन्दः. Meanwhile Prathama and Pre-Prathama learnt लट् लकारः.
The teachers successfully explained us these subjects in detail allowing students to primarily understand Sanskrit grammar. Before they knew it, it was time for afternoon tea where they ate some delicious snacks and then changed into traditional Indian clothing for some Bhajan and Games. In Bhajan many students and teachers volunteered to use their impressive talents to sing devotional songs in Carnatic music. In games they played Musical chairs and then it was dinner time. They served us some scrumptious food, and then they concluded their day in the dormitories.
Day 3: Lot of समासः, सन्धि and a Ton of Fun
We started off the morning with some tranquilizing yoga and Pranayama. Dwitiya and Tritiya had dived into Day 3 with learning समासः and different types of समासः. The teachers did an exceptional job explaining a complex yet so vital topic – समासः – and made an interactive game which used समासः to make sentences. Pre Prathama and Prathama had started on the different types of Sandhi’s and identifying Sandhi’s in sentences. The teachers gave Dwitiya and Tritiya an activity to make a कालविभक्ति चक्र and the result looked fabulous. Students were directed to Bhajan and sung Hymns in God’s presence and later, ate dinner. Students and teachers ended their day in the dormitories with a well-deserved sleep.
The Final and the 4th day conclusion:
On the last day we all woke up to do yoga one last time in camp and make memorable memories. We ended the yoga session with a quick prayer and made our way to the dining hall for breakfast where we munched on some mouthwatering food. For the last time Dwitiya and Tritiya proceeded to their routine classes and learnt कृदन्तः. After finishing we ate lunch and packed up, wore our traditional Indian clothing and proceeded to valedictory. At valedictory the students at Sydney Sanskrit School were awarded a certificate congratulating them on finishing the 2025 Paniniyam Sanskrit Grammar Camp. SSS volunteers also gave students a mini book to write short notes. They served parents and students with some snacks, and everyone left to go home.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, the experience at the Paniniyam Grammar Camp was an exceptionally memorable one. It helps students learn vital things essential for speaking Sanskrit and writing in Sanskrit. Over the course of 4 days at Paniniyam Grammar Camp, they learnt a mountain load of knowledge. The things they learnt included निरुक्त, अन्त, लिङ्ग, वचन, विभक्ति, भूतसं ख्या, छन्दः, समासः and कृदन्तः. These concepts are a fundamental part of Sanskrit which make a huge difference in how the people speak and write Sanskrit.
Contributing Author: Agastya Gupta is a 12-year-old year 7 student at the Sydney Sanskrit School. He has been part of Sydney Sanskrit School since the age of 7. As a young and eager writer, Agastya demonstrates a passion for language learning, particularly in Sanskrit and English. Additionally, Agastya has a strong passion for Music, Cricket, and Tennis.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The Australia Today is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article. The information, facts, or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of The Australia Today and The Australia Today News does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
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