सा विद्या या विमुक्तये ।। That alone is knowledge, which liberates. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.41)

Imagine this: In the bustling city of Mumbai, famed for its fast-paced lifestyle, where life itself is more a race than a journey to cherish - parents gather in a packed hall to witness transformative work in the education space undertaken by three gurukulas.

If this is not a moment reflective of a civilizational awakening, of a deep-seated hunger for a revival of the Indian knowledge systems - then what is?

For the first time ever, on February 8th - 9th, 2025, “Harmonizing Gurukula and Modernity - The Journey of Students, Parents and Teachers”, was organized at prime areas in Mumbai; featuring a unique showcase by Vrindaranyam, Vidyakshetra and Gyankul.

The event featured interactive live stalls curated and manned by young students; talks by eminent voices working in the gurukula space; historical, cultural and martial arts displays by the students; and presentations exhibiting excellence in Saṃskṛta; concluding with a Q-and-A round.

Anchored by Smt. Preeti Dhiman (Co-Founder, Vidyakshetra), the day began on an auspicious note, with svasti vacana and a traditional lighting of the lamp, invoking isvara-kṛpā on the young students and the audience.

It was followed by an introductory keynote address by Śrī Govindaprabhu, a senior educator who has played a pivotal role in the shaping of the three gurukulas. He highlighted how colonial, modern education creates a poverty of relationships, both external and internal violence, loss of morality, and slavery of the mind. He laid emphasis on the revival of the breaking family systems and how gurukulas perform a key role in the protection of the kula paramparā.

Next, senior students of Vidyakshetra offered a beautiful Bharatanāṭyam piece, “Rañjanī Mālā”, depicting the Divine Mother as Rañjanī, Śrīrañjanī, Megharañjanī and Janarañjanī. It was delightful to witness their śraddhā and love for the art-form, to which they dedicate themselves as much as they do to regular academic pursuits. We will learn more about the education model of Vidyakshetra in the sections ahead.

After this, we were up for something heart-warming! The little ones of Gyankul, a gurukula with 3 centers right at the heart of Mumbai, recited key Saṃskṛta verses from the Amarakośaḥ, accompanied by an explanation of their meaning. It involved detailing the qualities of Brahma, the devatās, and other categories of celestial beings. One can only imagine the depth and transformation such study brings to the citta.

What also stood out, was how the students of Gyankul introduced themselves in Saṃskṛta, starting with their gotra, moving on to their grandparents and parents, their guru, and finally their name. This simple practice keeps them connected not only to their immediate preceptors and lineage, but also the unbroken ṛṣī paramparā of Bhārata.

Next up, was a short and sweet conversational skit that took us through a day at the Vrindaranyam gurukula in Karnataka. In the lap of nature, tending to and learning from the cows at the gurukula, practising martial arts and learning essential concepts through play, children imbibe and retain indigenous village traditions and immerse themselves in the study of traditional knowledge systems; while also receiving modern education through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) system.

In his introduction, Śrī Vasudeva Suta Das (Founder & Teacher, Vrindaranyam) rightly stated that the vision of Vrindaranyam is to help students and their families experience, appreciate, and root themselves in their native culture and in the knowledge traditions of Bhārata.

Vrindaranyam positions itself as a unique dhārmika alternative to existing rural schools that are bereft of both effective faculty, and the very principles of education. It aims to create a replicable, rural education model that offers a balanced, holistic, practical, and pañcakośa-based approach to thrive in the modern world. A community driven establishment serving surrounding villages, it was born of the deep desire for transformation in the elders of the village. It envisions creating self-reliant entrepreneurs anchored in dhārmika ethics.

After touching our hearts and minds, next was a showcase appealing to the long-lost, yet ever-alive, Bhāratīya intellect - a Saṃskṛta vyākaraṇa avalokana (public examination) presented by a group of 4 senior students from Vidyakshetra. Two of them unpacked various detailed aspects of a cryptic śloka that enumerated the qualities of both Śrī Mahā Viṣṇu and Bhagavān Śiva, as their peers posed tricky on-spot questions. It was a test of their proficiency in the language. While time considerations permitted enumeration of 1 śloka alone, the students showcased capacity and ability to do this for up to 100 ślokas.

It was now time for the young girls of Gyankul to show us what saṅkalpa śakti meant. To commemorate the 300th jayaṅtī of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, the students have taken a sankalpa to offer 300 kāryakramas narrating her courageous life story. While they performed their 200th act at the Holkar Rajwada in Madhya Pradesh, we were fortunate to witness their passion in what was their 242nd performance. Aside from this, the children have also performed Śrī Rāma Kathā amongst various other stories from our itihāsa-purāṇa corpus.

Next, senior students of Vidyakshetra offered a walkthrough of India’s civilizational history, an eye-opening session for many in the audience. Based on their curriculum of Civilizational Studies at the gurukula, they debunked the Aryan Invasion Theory through an enumeration of Śrī Srikant Talageri’s research; and took us through key sections of the Harivaṃśa Purāṇa and the magnum opus, “History and Culture of the Indian People” by Śrī R.C. Majumdar.

They utilized key sections from the Amarakośaḥ and the works of Vātsyāyana to bust myths on the vision of Indian society for women. In his work for example, Vātsyāyana mentions 64 branches of knowledge to be taught to women, and outlines succinctly the idea of a gṛhiṇī as one who is aptly educated and possesses the ability to frame the annual budget for her home effectively.

We then heard inspiring student and parent perspectives of their journey at Vrindaranyam, Gyankul, and Vidyakshetra. We learnt of the pull towards traditional education that prompted a parent to join this community; and how this model holistically shapes a student’s body, mind, and intellect.

After nourishing herbal teas and detailed interactions with students at the various live stalls, we were back to our seats for the final set of sessions. The young boys and girls from Gyankul put up an energising “Lāṭhī Kāṭhī” show, a traditional form of martial arts practiced in Maharashtra. Led by one of their peers, seniors of Vidyakshetra took us through the rigors demanded by Kalārīpayaṭṭu, the ancient martial arts form originating in Śrī Paraśurāma Kṣetra, i.e. Kerala.

Next, Śrī Digvijay Yadav (Founder - Balagokulam and IT professional) spoke to us about the journey of Gyankul, a Mumbai-based learning space that has evolved over the past 12 years into a beautiful community-based schooling model. Begun originally by parents who sought to provide a different learning experience to their kids, it is set to open its 4th center in Mumbai soon.

One of the senior founding members is Śrī Kamalakar Indulkar (Professor of Biology, Ramnarain Jhunjhunwala College, Mumbai) who pioneered the concept of “Learning Home”, 12 years ago.

Blending core disciplines and critical skill-building with learning modules drawn from the Itihāsa and Purāṇa, Gyankul offers day care, play group, nursery, pre-school (also known as Vaatsalya Vatika) and primary school programs. Children and parents are nurtured together to bridge gurukula education with modern day necessities and foster deep commitment to nation building.

Lastly, Śrī Muneet Dhiman (Kulapati and Teacher, Vidyakshetra) narrated the vision and mission of this pioneering gurukula based in Bengaluru, with an aim to reverse the gaze, i.e. introduce education based on Bhāratīya jīvana dṛṣṭi.

Its strength lies in curriculum and pedagogy based on the triśaktis: icchā śakti, kriyā śakti, and jñāna śakti. The unique characteristics or vṛttis of a child are nurtured through harnessing activities of the heart, such as nṛtya and saṅgīta (icchā śakti); activities of the hand such as weaving, construction, etc (kriyā śakti); and activities of the intellect such as learning Saṃskṛta, Itihāsa, gaṇita, etc (jñāna śakti). Other essential frameworks such as pañcakośa vikāsa, jyotiṣa, and puruṣārthas are integrated to forge the idea of the individual embedded in a larger community and ultimately, integrated into the infinite cosmos.

As of today, while Vidyakshetra has a consciously limited intake of students, applications run into 950+! Studied by the National Curriculum Framework teams, with 35 acharyas and 150 students from 11 states, and successful batches of completion, the Vidyakshetra model is ready for replication. With a vision to create 108 Vidyakshetras across Bhārata by 2047, programs such as ‘Acharya Nirmaan’ are being conducted with dedication.

The day-long event concluded with an apt summary by Śrī Krishna Chandra Prabhu (Chairman, Mafatlal Group of Companies) and an engaging Question and Answer round with the founders and senior members of the three gurukulas.

Amongst the many points that emerged through the Q and A discussion, one to be noted is the criticality of revisiting how we understand and view the NIOS curriculum that is offered at the secondary (equivalent to class 10) and senior secondary (equivalent to class 12) levels at gurukulas, to facilitate entry to mainstream education to the students. Many who are unaware, view the NIOS system as an adjunct to the dominant ecosystem. However, the panel on-stage explained that the NIOS curriculum offers space for a rich self-curated learning experience, and comes the closest to incorporating IKS-based components in its curriculum.

In times marked by growing unrest and in a world driven by exponential technology, we must prepare our children for the next 10-20 years ahead. As a young person working in the Indian Knowledge Systems space, witnessing the grassroots level transformation in the learning space being brought about by these institutions was both touching and inspiring, while the eager participation of parents from across the country was refreshing. As the students of Vidyakshetra stated by quoting Śrī Dharampal, “It is time we reclaim the Bhāratīya cit mānasa, i.e. our ways of seeing and being.”

At Bṛhat, we believe that a resurgent Bhārata truly lies in the hands of her children who are imbued with and immersed in the Bhāratīya way of living. Towards this, empowering institutional scale of gurukula-based education is critical. Let us as a collective rise to strengthen our core civilizational institutions and offer the best to our children and thereby to Bhāratavarṣa.

You may learn more about and contribute to the three institutions at the gurukula links below:

Vrindaranyam
Gyankul
Vidyakshetra