Mangaluru: Rap, reels, jingles and popular culture may seem an unlikely toolkit for promoting an ancient language, but two young Sanskrit graduates are using precisely these tools to give the classical language a contemporary voice.Tribe Sanskrit, co-founded by Hridya Suresh,25, and Vinamra Herle,22, aims to make Sanskrit accessible, relatable and relevant to Gen Z without losing its classical essence.The duo first connected while living in a college hostel in Kerala, and later completed their BA in Sanskrit from Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Veliyanad, Kochi. They have completed their MA in Sanskrit. Their parents supported their decision to pursue the subject despite the pull of more conventional career choices.“Parents have always guided us; ultimately, they trust our choices,” Hridya said. “We did not choose Sanskrit because somebody pushed us into it. We chose it because we genuinely saw its value,” she said.For Vinamra, the interest went beyond academics. She knew Vishwas Mahodaya, an activist from Samskrita Bharati, during her graduation, and after completing her graduation, approached him seeking guidance to study Sanskrit thoroughly. During her postgraduation, she also volunteered at Samskrita Bharati during their summer shibiras, teaching children and participating in other activities.“She studied with great dedication,” Vishwas said, adding that Vinamra read extensively beyond textbooks. She is now contributing to the organisation’s Sanskrit e-learning platform.The idea for Tribe Sanskrit grew from the founders’ own struggle to find engaging digital resources. “When we started studying Sanskrit, we did not have much support or many YouTube videos to turn to,” Vinamra said. Launched in May 2025, the platform seeks to make Sanskrit freely accessible through content young audiences can connect with.Its repertoire includes a Bhagavad Gita rap inspired by Hanumankind’s ‘Run It Up’, a New Year greeting set to “Carol of the Bells”, Sanskrit versions of popular television themes and even the Shinchan theme song.“We try to combine music, dance and Sanskrit to make it a more visual experience,” Hridya said.The experiment appears to be finding an audience. Tribe Sanskrit has around 10,300 Instagram followers, while their translated version of the Malayalam song ‘Kanta’ recorded the highest views, garnering around 19,300 views. The Sanskrit version of the Rajasthani folk song ‘Chaudhary’ drew a comment from the original playback singer Mame Khan.The duo manages the initiative alongside studies and careers from different cities—Hridya from Coimbatore—where she teaches Sanskrit from junior to middle-school classes, and Vinamra from Mangaluru.For the duo, the language remains bigger than personal recognition. “Sanskrit is more important than the individual. We are not looking for personal fame,” the duo said.
