Alakanandā
First Residential Samskritam Camp in the US
'A' is the first alphabet of Samskritam; Alakananda, the first Samskritam residential camp in the US! We like the similarity! The camp brought together 81 Samskritam enthusiasts for a 9-day immersion camp along the banks of the American River in Coloma, California. James Marshall may have discovered gold in Coloma, but we rediscovered something that is far more valuable! Beth Kulkarni narrates how it all began!
Gaṅgōtrī - Samskritam Camp Comes East!
In the lush green surroundings of Epping, New Hampshire, Gangotri brought the Samskritam immersion-learning experience to the East coast. They must have done something right, because the east coast camps, now called Jaahnavii have grown from strength to strength! The newspaper Lokavani carried this report on Gangotri.
Pāvanī - A Retreat in the Woods of Massachusetts
For five days, people lived and breathed Samskritam in a gorgeous campsite in East Otis, MA. Read about the camp experience in the Lokavani newspaper.
Bhāgīrathī - Roots Grow Deeper in Pennsylvania and DC
The previous years' East coast camps were held in the New England area. As Samskrita Bharati activities grew stronger in the mid-Atlantic, it was time to stage our annual gathering in a more central location. So we arrived in Schuykill Manor, Pennsylvania. Dr. Jyotsna Kalavar, a professor in Penn State University, writes about her experience
śraddhā - Second generation takes on Samskritam!
After multiple successful family residential camps, Samskrita Bharati opened its doors to the youth in the first ever US Samskritam youth camp, Shraddhaa. Twenty-two youth spent four days conversing in Samskitam against the serene backdrop of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, PA. Read about participant Jay Pandya's experience and his new-found dedication to Samskritam as a result of Shraddhaa!
śraddhā 2008 - The extended version!
Due to popular demand, we extended Shraddhaa to be a seven-day residential camp in 2008. After seven days of Samskritam, many youth were still not ready to leave, but they were inspired to bring their families to the subsequent family camp, Jaahnavii. One such experience was narrated by Swathi Krishnan, a 10th grader from Connecticut, in the Lokavani newspaper. And the teachers, what did they think of the extended version? Read about their experiences in this article.
Jāhnavī 2008 - Recording breaking participation in Edison, NJ
Located just off the path from Little India, Jaahnavii 2008 brought together more than 100 Sanskrit- lovers for the first time. Sisters, brothers, fathers and mothers all took part in this one-size fits all camp for five days. Read about this camp experience in this article from Lokavani.
Jāhnavī 2009 - A memorable impact
Read about the experience of Jaahnavii samskritam family camp in this article by Dr Jyotsna Kalavar.