Bhakti Kids Sangha will be celebrating World Sanskrit Day with a live event on its Facebook page and YouTube channel on August 18, 2024, at 4 pm AEST (Australia). During the event, the senior students will showcase what they have learned over the last year by reciting Sanskrit verses, and Abhidheya Devi Dasi, the founder of Bhakti Kids Sangha, will launch her new two-part series of books, Varnamala: Garland of Syllables, which introduces children to the phonetic Sanskrit alphabet.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown, Bhakti Kids Sangha has been supporting families, offering online workshops, podcasts, and Sanskrit classes for children. Abhidheya has been teaching Sanskrit to children across Australia and has built a curriculum that not only dynamically teaches Sanskrit but also keeps Lord Krishna and Vaishnava philosophy at the center.

Going back to the roots of the Sanskrit language, Abhideya Devi Dasi has crafted an introductory two-part series that begins with the basics. The first book focuses on vowels, detailing their groups and characteristics, while the second book explores consonants. Both books are designed in a contemporary style, filled with picture references and a strong emphasis on sound, making the learning process fun, relevant, and interactive for children.

In a recent conversation with ISKCON News, Abhideya shared, “There are very few Sanskrit learning resources available, particularly for children, and even fewer that are contemporary and readily available outside of India. Despite Sanskrit being the oldest language and the language of the Lord, there hasn’t been a basic alphabet book available—until now.”

She continued, “ISKCON is an international society. So, I wanted to create a series of books that teach a complex ancient language of South Asia and make it accessible to as many people as possible. I wanted parents from a non-Indian background to be able to help their child study from these books by providing transliteration, English translations, and a pronunciation guide. My overall aim was to make Sanskrit learning as inclusive as possible.”

Speaking about plans for the future, Abhidheya said, “I plan to release an entire curriculum. Starting with the alphabet (varnamala), and basic vocabulary, and then moving on to activity books. I hope to reach more students and teach more kids this divine language through my books and classes.”

In a heartfelt expression of gratitude, Abhideya concluded, “I would like to thank my spiritual master, Kadamba Kanana Maharaj, who was also a great linguist speaking five plus languages, including Sanskrit. I would also like to thank Lajjavati Devi Dasi, a fellow Sanskrit teacher from the Hare Krishna school in New Zealand who helped me proofread and advise me in the editing phases of this book. Prana Das (a great ISKCON educator who left the body around one year ago) inspired me to take up teaching and helped me understand the importance of a tailored Vaishnava curriculum specifically for devotee children. I would also like to thank my students for always inspiring me! And anyone who has supported Bhakti Kids Sangha in any way over the years.”

To learn more about her free online learning platforms and her books, please email Abhidheya Devi Dasi. Click these links to learn more about Varnamala- Garland of Syllables book 1 and 2.

To watch the live telecast on August 18, 2024, at 4 pm AEST (Australia), visit her Facebook page, Instagram, and Youtube channel.