Introduction
Brunda Karanam is a legal practitioner by profession, who is passionate about Samskrtam, the Bhagavad Gita, Samskrtam shlokas and Carnatic music. She is a graduate from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, and also holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from the University of Oxford, UK, and an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, where she was a Dean’s Scholar. While at Oxford, she participated in the activities of Oxford India Classical Arts Society and the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
Alongside her profession in a law firm in Singapore, in 2017, Brunda started teaching Samskrtam voluntarily through Veda Nivas, Singapore. She coaches aspirants for Samskrita Bharati exams, and is now continuing the same through online classes. Brunda also participates in Samskrtam related activities and programmes.
Taking Samskrita global
In 2019, Brunda started teaching the Bhagavad Gita online through Sanskrit From Home (SFH) portal (www.sanskritfromhome.in) of Vyoma Linguistic Labs Foundation (Vyoma Labs), an e-learning platform to promote Samskrtam-Samskriti on a global scale. Brunda took up teaching all the 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita through the webinar offered by Vyoma Labs. The highlight of the course is learning to chant the verses of the Bhagavad Gita, with perfect adherence to the rules of pronunciation and Samskrtam grammar. As it is a webinar, there is greater outreach globally, without any limitations of geographical location.
Currently, there are more than 2,000 registrants for the course, spread across various nationalities. “It is very gratifying to see that the overwhelming response for this course includes not just persons of Indian origin residing abroad, but many foreign nationals as well. This shows the universal appeal of the Bhagavad-Gita”, notes Brunda. Recently, on the occasion of Gita Jayanti (25 December 2020), Brunda also led the “Parayanam” (chanting) of all the 18 chapters of the Gita, organised by Vyoma Labs and Practical Vedanta IIMB.
Inspiration to teach Samskrita
Brunda draws her inspiration to teach Samskrtam, the Bhagavad Gita and Stotraani (hymns), from her revered Guru, Vidushi Ananthalakshmi Natarajan, a Samskrtam scholar. Brunda was mentored by her Guru from the young age of four, when she attended Geeta Govinda Samskrta Sangha (GGSS) founded by her Guru. Since her childhood days, Brunda has taken part in many Samskrtam plays like ‘Mugdha-kunthalam’, ‘Sakhyam’, ‘Yama-Nachiketa-Samvadah’ (based on the Kathopanishat), ‘Gitopadeshah’, ‘Jeevanmuktikalyana-natakam’, to name a few. She has participated in many state-level and national-level shloka chanting competitions, and won accolades.
These activities and the encouragement from her Guru and elders were instrumental in her completing the exams conducted by Sri Surasaraswati Sabha, Sringeri, with distinction and the Bhagavad-Gita exams of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. It was on her Guru’s recommendation that Brunda started teaching Samskrtam and shlokas, about 17 years ago. The immense service rendered by her Guru to Samskrtam and Samskriti, has inspired Brunda to make her own contribution towards this cause of spreading Samskrtam, even during her stay abroad.
Role of Samskrita in our lives
“There is a treasure-house of knowledge in Samskrtam literature, which remains unexplored by many due to the lack of familiarity with the language”, says Brunda. Further, she firmly believes that no translation does justice to a work like reading it in its original, noting that “there are wonderful literary masterpieces in Samskrtam, and it is my endeavour to inspire others to experience the bliss of studying them.” Brunda is an ardent admirer of the Bhagavad-Gita, a universal guide, relevant to all walks of life, remarking, that “the Gita teaches us practical lessons, to develop resilience and balance of mind, and to perform one’s duties dispassionately.”
Significance of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
On Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), Brunda shares that it is a great initiative by the Government of India, to culturally unite the Indian diaspora across the globe. She had an opportunity to attend the PBD celebration in Singapore in January 2018 and fondly remembers the experience at the cultural evening organised at Marina Bay Sands, with events showcasing the diversity of Indian culture, including the melodious rendition of “The Sufi Gospel” by Sonam Kalra and the concert by Raghu Dixit. The PBD celebration was a wonderful event, bringing together the Indian diaspora in SG.
Brunda looks forward to contributing to creating awareness about the rich cultural heritage of India, globally.
Dr. Niranjan B Poojar 
Balaji Subramanian