First Sanskrit class

It is not everyday that you remember every moment of a class that happened 18 years ago. Well, the memory of the first class of Sanskrit language in Class 8 is still fresh.

My beloved teacher, Mrs Varalakshmi Ma'am is one of the most dedicated, well learned and passionate teachers I have come across in all my life. She taught us Sanskrit for 3 years in my high school. 

On day 1, when she entered the classroom, Ma'am smiled at us and ushered us to take our seats. 

Ma'am introduced herself.

"Mama nama Varalakshmi." This translates to "My name is Varalakshmi."

She then pointed at my friend who was seated in the first bench.

"Bhavatyaha nama Kim." This translates to " What is your name ( addressing a girl)."

My friend was clueless just like every other student in the room. 

Ma'am tried two more times but all that my friend managed to say was just her name. Never the full sentence in Sanskrit.

After repeatedly teaching the sentence, my friend was finally able to say, " mama nama Poorna." 

Everybody including Ma'am cheered for her. Taking inspiration from Poorna, we all introduced ourselves in Sanskrit on the first day of the class.

The technique that Ma'am used to teach an entirely new language is simple yet so powerful. There are no shortcuts but to use the language itself to teach. It was not easy for any of us but at the end of 3 years of learning from Ma'am, we had sung several Sanskrit songs in various events. In fact Ma'am encouraged us to take part in Sanskrit Debate and Elocution competitions too. Further, during Independence day celebrations, along with English, Kannada and Hindi we ensured welcome speech was delivered in Sanskrit too. All this was possible because of Ma'am and Sanskrit department teachers' relentless efforts every single day.

To this day I remember my teachers and especially so Varalakshmi Ma'am fondly with a heart full of gratitude.

What is your secret to learning a new language ? Is there a teacher behind the magic?