VEDIC LESSON

India

Hindu Brahmin students are learning Sanskrit and Vedas at the school in Madurai, Kerala State, India. The Vedas (a collection of sacred texts and hymns composed in India from 1500 and 1000 BC) were essentially preserved by an oral tradition and handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. It takes at least 8 years of dedicated study to gain expertise in the Vedic texts and boys start their day very early in the morning only wearing a simple sarong, a string crossing their body and carrying their precious writing books. Normally the poor Brahmin families send their children at younger age to this school where they get free boarding and lodging while having important Vedic teaching. Reciting and chanting together is difficult or it might be very boring at the beginning for many pupils especially for the youngest but, after a while, the sound of their voices fill the air creating a great energy and a sense of well-being and harmony.