Sydney Sanskrit School

SydneySanskrit School

Sponsorship Proposal2016

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From

Karthikeyan Subramanian

President

School of Vedic Sciences (Aust) Inc

Dearcommunity member,

SydneySanskritSchool is aimed at inspiring our young generation to learn Sanskrit so that they can appreciate and explore the Vedic and classical literature of India. SydneySanskritSchool is the first Sanskrit community language school established in the southern hemisphere. This school is running under the auspices of School of Vedic Sciences (Australia) Inc and is supported by the NSW Department of Education under the Federation of Community Languages program. To date, our school has educated over 200children and young adults, inspiring our students to learn the basics of language and apply it in their day to day activities.

We seek your support in our endeavour to preserve Sanskrit as a community language. Inspiring youth to learn Sanskrit will help us conserve the linguistic heritage and your support in this regard will be very much appreciated. We recognise the value of your sponsorship using which we are better able to grow our mission and reachmore children each year, thus promoting Sanskrit as a community language.

Thank you for considering Sydney Sanskrit School as your non-profit alliance.

Warmest Wishes,

Karthi

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Sponsorship Proposal - Executive Summary

SydneySanskritSchool is engaged in the preservation and promotion of Sanskrit in Australia. SydneySanskritSchool was founded in 2006 under the auspices of School of Vedic Sciences (Aust) Inc. It is the first Sanskrit school established in the Southern Hemisphere with the objectives to

Impart Sanskrit learning to enable students to converse, read and write in the language
Comprehend first hand Sanskrit literature relating to Vedas, Yoga, Meditation, Spirituality, Culture and History
Enable students appreciate the classic significance of the language, its role/influence in their own personal development, local and universal cultures.

The school operates on all Sundays, except school and public holidays. Weekly classes are held at: MarsdenRoadPublic school, Marsden Road, Liverpool, NSW 2170.

Our achievements

Since its inception in 2006, our school has taught more than 100 students and has accomplished the following in the academic arena:

Spoken Sanskrit–Junior and senior students are able to fluently converse in Sanskrit language. They are able to proudly sing the Sanskrit version of the Australian national anthem.
Reading and Writing Sanskrit- Students are able to read and write short stories in Sanskrit. They are able to understand and decipher the meaning of Chankya Neethi and sutras in Vedic mathematics. They can also create simple rhymes in Sanskrit. Along with teachers, the students have translated famous English rhymes such as old McDonald had a farm, Five little duck went swimming one day, I am a little tea pot and the list goes on.
Publications- We have created numerous text books that are based on the Australian method of teaching language.

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Sponsorship Opportunities

Organisations intending to support our work can either choose annual sponsorship programs or sponsor a stream of work

Annual/One off Sponsorship Programs

Platinum Sponsorship - $5000/year
Gold Sponsorship - $2500/year
Silver Sponsorship - $1500/year

Sponsor a stream of work

You can also choose to sponsor a stream of work. Please see section 3.2.

Our Commitment to you

We value your sponsorship and agree to use the funds for the development and betterment of SydneySanskritSchool facilities only. We maintain up to date financial records of all transactions. For the purposes of auditing, we can make available to you the details of the process and other relevant documents related to the expenditure of your sponsorship funds.

All organisation sponsorships above $1000 or equivalent will be promoted through our printed publications such as ‘Medha’ our annual school magazine by placing a full page complimentary advertisement. Organisations choosing the annual sponsorship programs will also be promoted through display of their banner on our website and on premises of special celebrations such as 'Samskrutotsavam', our annual school presentation night.

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Sponsorship Proposal - Detailed

1Background - Sanskrit – the mother of all Indo-Aryan languages

Saṁskṛtam, the dialect of The Vedas, the vernacular of Yoga, the dialect that formed the numerals and the words which elucidated “ZERO” to mankind is the language that holds the wisdom of the ancient, the insight of the sages, science of meditation and holistic harmony of Ayurveda. It is the language that illuminated mankind with the concept of Vasudeiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family) which, fittingly is considered as a divine language.

The term “Saṁskṛtam” as used now means “well done or rectified”. The Vedas universally accepted as the first scriptures of humanity were written in this language. The rituals and modes of worship mentioned in the Vedas are directly related to the Gods (Devas). Knowledge and recital of Sanskrit is believed to enhance spirituality and general well being leading man evolve to a divine state within himself. Thus it is rightfully called Daivi Vak (Deva Bhasha). A number of great works of eternal value like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, darshanas and equally valuable poetic and dramatic works of Kalidasa, Basha, Magha, Bharavi and the like were written in Saṁskṛtam.Besides the great sciences indispensable to the life and progress of humanity like astronomy, Astrology, medicine, Architecture, physical sciences and other branches of knowledge were for the first time written in Saṁskṛtamalone.Some concepts are being reinvented in the form of “New age living” today and continue to amaze modern science.

Without the knowledge of Sanskrit it is not possible to appreciate our Indian Culture and ideals treasured in the Great epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, Darshanas and equally valuable poetic and dramatic works of Kalidasa,Bhasa,Magha,and Bharavi.

[1]Until 1100 A.D., Sanskrit was without interruption the official language of the whole of India. The dominance of Sanskrit is indicated by a wealth of literature of widely diverse genres including religious, philosophical, fiction (short stories, fables, novels, and plays); scientific (linguistics, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine), as well as law and politics.

The linguistic perfection of Sanskrit offers only a partial explanation for its sustained presence in the world for at least 3,000 years. High precision in and of itself is of limited scope; like mathematics, it generally excites the brain, but not the heart. Like music, however, Sanskrit has the power to uplift the heart. It's conceivable that for a few rare and inspired geniuses, mathematics can reach the point of becoming music or music, mathematics.

The extraordinary thing is that it offers direct accessibility to anyone to that elevated plane where the two—mathematics and music, brain and heart, analytical and intuitive, scientific and spiritual—become one. Great discoveries occur, whether through mathematics or music or Sanskrit, not by the calculations or manipulations of the human mind, but where the living language is expressed and heard in a state of joy and communion with the natural laws of existence.

Generating clarity and inspiration, the Sanskrit language is directly responsible for a brilliance of creative expression such as the world has rarely seen. No one has expressed this more eloquently than Sri Aurobindo, the twentieth-century poet-philosopher:

"The ancient and classical creations of the Sanskrit tongue both in quality and in body and abundance of excellence, in their potent originality and force and beauty, in their substance and art and structure, in grandeur and justice and charm of speech, and in the height and width of the reach of their spirit, stand very evidently in the front rank among the world's great literatures. The language itself, as has been universally recognized by those competent to form a judgment, is one of the most magnificent, most perfect, and wonderfully sufficient literary instruments developed by the human mind, at once majestic and sweet and flexible, strong and clearly-formed, and full and vibrant and subtle, and its quality and character would be of itself a sufficient evidence of the character and quality of the race whose mind it expressed, and the culture of which it was the reflecting medium." [2]

2SydneySanskritSchool

“Lord Shiva transmitted the Sanskrit language to humans and its sounds are also known as ‘Devas’. The word ‘Deva’ has three meanings – God, protector (or guardian angel) and cosmic vibration. Lord Shiva brought the Devas down to earth in the form of letters and this is why the characters of Sanskrit are called ‘Devanagari’ – the ‘citizens of God’…” says Paramahans Swami Maheshwarananda, a great yoga teacher and founder of Yoga in Daily Life Society. While speaking about the power of spiritual mantra in one of his books, he adds, “In Sanskrit, there are 52 letters, the same number as the levels (lokas) in the cosmos. As these levels also exist within us, the Sanskrit language is a key to our inner world. In deep meditation, we occasionally perceive the corresponding Sanskrit letters and mantras and feel the qualities associated with them…”

Such being the greatness of the divine Sanskrit language, it is with pride that the SydneySanskritSchool is engaged in the preservation and promotion of Sanskrit in Australia.SydneySanskritSchool was founded in 2006 under the auspices of School of Vedic Sciences (Aust) Inc with the objectives to

Impart Sanskrit learning to enable students to converse, read and write in the language
Comprehend first hand Sanskrit literature relating to Vedas, Yoga, Meditation, Spirituality, Culture and History
Enable students appreciate the classic significance of the language, its role/influence in their own personal development, local and universal cultures.

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The school operates on all Sundays, except school and public holidays. Weekly classes are held at:

MarsdenRoadPublic school

Liverpool, NSW

Glenwood Public School

Glenfield, NSW

Darcy Road Public School

Wentworthiville

Since 2006, the school has been able to retain an average of 35 students each year. The students are grouped into three classes – kindergarten, junior and senior. All the classes are engaged in speaking, reading and writing the classical Sanskrit. In kindergarten and junior classes, the students are focused on learning the basics of this language. Introduction to alphabets, two letter words, numbers and ancient classical phonics are some of the curricular areas that are covered throughout the year.

The students are involved in activities creating sight word books, instructional charts etc. which gives them concrete experience in learning this language. It is amazing to see the kids speaking in Sanskrit outside the class hours. Teaching of Vedic literature such as Bhagavad-Gita and Subhashitam is aimed at developing appreciation of the Vedic cultural heritage.

Senior students are encouraged to apply their knowledge by engaging in writing short stories, rhymes and skits that summarises their understanding of the classical literature. Learning of the correct diction, pronunciation of the Sanskrit words is key to speak in Sanskrit. Vedic mathematics, Chankya Neethi (Economics), poetry, creating pictorial stories and biology are the curricular areas covered for the senior students.

Since its establishment in 2006, the students of SydneySanskritSchool have participated in various cultural performances with the objective to demonstrate the use of Sanskrit in the creative forms such as music, dance and drama.

2.1Our Vision

Our vision is to “disseminate the knowledge of Sanskrit language to our younger generation through formal learning environment so that they can learn this language with ease and use it in their daily life to appreciate and understand the significance of the Vedic literature in our current modern day life”

2.2Our Motto

Our school motto is ‘

. न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशम्!.

‘na hi jñānena sadṛśam’ meaningnothing is equivalent to knowledge.

Knowledge of Sanskrit to our younger generation will open the doors for further exploration and research in to the vast Vedic literature which is still so relevant and of high importance in this technological world. .

2.3Our School Committee

Principal: Dr Meenakshi Srinivasan

President: Sri Karthikeyan Subramanian

Vice-president: Sri Sundareswaran Kaniyur

Secretary: Smt Mennalakshmi Senthil

Public Officer: Dr Meenakshi Srinivasan

Treasurer: Mr Gopal Subramanian

Assistant Treasurer: Smt.Meera Jagadeesh

OH&S officer: Sri Jagadeesh Doraiswamy & Sri Karthikeyan Subramanian

Note: The above committee has been elected in the 2015 annual general body meeting (AGM). The committee is renewed every second year at the AGM.

2.4Our Achievements

Since its inception in 2006, our school has accomplished the following in the academic and cultural arena

Spoken Sanskrit
Senior students are able to fluently converse in Sanskrit language
Junior students are able to fluently reproduce the Subhashitam and other small stories in Sanskrit

Reading and Writing Sanskrit
Senior students are able to read and write short stories in Sanskrit. They are able to understand and decipher the meaning of Chankya Neethi and sutras in Vedic mathematics. They can also create simple rhymes in Sanskrit. They have made a picture chart to practice Sanskrit vocabulary in the class.
Junior students are able to read the syllables and their associated words. They are able to fluently write the syllables and some sight words. They have created A-AA word book in Sanskrit as a class room activity.
Listening and appreciation
Both senior and junior students are exposed to a wide variety of auditory experiences to listen and appreciate Sanskrit language
Students are provided with multi-media (i.e. mp3 recordings) for listening
Language Expression
Students are trained to participate in various cultural activities to present cultural items in Sanskrit for e.g. In Samskrutotsavam 2010, the junior and senior students performed a drama on ‘Matturu Graamam’ in Sanskrit.
On the occasion of Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Teacher’s Day, the students have prepared greeting cards in Sanskrit.
Publications
In April 2011, we have published ‘Bindu Varṇavarṇinī, a unique Sanskrit copywriting book. This “Bindu Varṇavarṇinī” handwriting workbook is first of its kind created by the SydneySanskritSchool provides a comprehensive way of writing Sanskrit characters and numerals. Writing of the letter is taught through ‘join the dots’ method. This method is very familiar among the kids and focuses on letter recognition.
In March 2011, we launched our bi-monthly newsletter ‘Dhimahi’. This newsletter aims to act as a platform for our school community as well as community members at large to contribute and share articles, opinions and achievements in the field of Sanskrit.
We are also in the process of finalising the following text books.

RamaH Kutra
Dinachari - Daily Routine
Vastraani - About clothes
Dinaani - Days of the week
Govindaxetram – Form and animals.
Rahasya varnanveshanam – Find the missing syllables.
Axararanjani 1, 2, and 3.
Katharanjini – Story book. ( 10 stories)
Saptavarnavarninii ( Colouring book with animals)
Kriyaamedhinii -Book of verbs
Kaaka-grudra katha- Story book
Jyotirlinga – (12 Historical places book)
My house – ( book on My family)
Mrugaalayam –( Book on Zoo)
Vivekatoshinii - (Sayings of Swami Vivekananda).
Jyaanaalayam – (My school )
KriyavarNini – ( book on cases with verbs)
Saptavarnavarninii Sr. (Animal colouring and information book).

3Sponsorship Opportunities

Organisations intending to support our work can either choose annual sponsorship programs or sponsor a stream of work:

3.1Annual Sponsorship Programs

Platinum Sponsorship - $5000/year

Gold Sponsorship - $2500/year

Silver Sponsorship - $1500/year

3.2Sponsor a stream of work

Sanskrit text books for junior students (Varna Varnini - Level1 and Level2) - $2000 (for 100 books)
Sanskrit text books for senior students - $2000 (for 100 books)
Sanskrit Instruction Teacher’s Package - $2500 (for 50 packages)
Sanskrit Handwriting book (Bindu Varnavarnini Level1) - $2000 (for 100 books)
Instructional Materials for junior group - $500
Instructional Materials for senior group - $500
General Sponsorship - $1000
General Sponsorship - $ 500

Note: The above costs include preparation of the materials using special software, sourcing of copyright images and printing of the materials. A minimum of three quotes is sought for engaging printer services.

4Our Commitment to you

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5Sponsorship Form

Yes, we are interested in participating and sponsoring the SydneySanskritSchool and would be interested in supporting the following sponsorship program:

(Kindly tick as applicable)

Annual Sponsorship Programs

Platinum Sponsorship - $5000/year

Gold Sponsorship - $2500/year
Silver Sponsorship - $1500/year

Sponsor a stream of work

Sanskrit text books for junior students (Level1 and Level2)
Sanskrit text books for senior students
Sanskrit Instruction Teacher’s Package
Sanskrit Handwriting book (Level1)
Instructional Materials for junior group
Instructional Materials for senior group
General Sponsorship - $1000
General Sponsorship - $500

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Organization: ______

Address: ______

Telephone: ______

E-mail: ______

Mode of Payment (specify): ______

Please complete the form and return by email to

Payment Options

For Electronic Funds Transfer:

Account name: School of Vedic Sciences Aust Inc