Built entirely with free AI tools: Bhopal teacher’s zero-cost Sanskrit gaming lab

A striking feature of a new Sanskrit learning initiative in Bhopal is that it comes with zero expenses. The gaming lab, built by Abhishek Tiwari, who teaches Sanskrit at Bhopal’s PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya-1 school, was created entirely with free AI tools and requires no special budget, making it easily replicable across Kendriya Vidyalayas.

Tiwari used generative AI to mine NCERT textbooks for classes 6 to 10 and translate the objectives of NEP 2020 and the PM SHRI initiative into interactive content. The result is a free online portal hosting a suite of games designed to teach grammar, vocabulary and verses through playful formats, including a frog-jump quiz, a word-search puzzle, and a module modelled on the quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati.’

‘My objective is to make learning and understanding Sanskrit fun. The response, so far, has been very encouraging,’ Tiwari told TOI, adding that he built the lab after growing frustrated that many students viewed Sanskrit as a subject where they simply needed to score a passing mark rather than enjoy learning it.

Early feedback suggests the zero-cost approach is working: students are voluntarily spending far more time learning Sanskrit through the games than through conventional homework, often replaying exercises until they master concepts. Fellow teachers said the self-paced format also helps weaker learners repeat activities without peer scrutiny.

The school has already recommended the initiative to Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan headquarters and proposed it for national recognition, with the aim of promoting the model to other Kendriya Vidyalayas given its low cost and ease of replication.