The ongoing pandemic episodes have made the home learning a new normal for students. Home learning has been prevalent in India since ages; but there is a difference. The learning happened not at the homes of the students; but that of the teachers. Yes; the Gurukulam system. Here’s an attempt to revisit Gurukulam and weigh its relevance to the current scenario.
Gurukulam, the ancient teaching style, literally means mentor’s home. The term implies learning while living with the mentor (Guru.) Perhaps today’s residential schools are its inexact remakes. The curriculum in those days was not subject specific. It included nature and life. The accent was not on employment prospects, but on the transmission of knowledge. There were Sanskrit, scriptures and mathematics. Real life situations and warfare provided the practical assignments. There was no intensive competition or assessments. The learning continued till the Guru was confident of the student’s capabilities. So the ‘fastest fingers’ passed out first.
Losing the Relevance
Over time, the Gurukulam model lost its relevance when modern education came during the British rule. Learning was institutionalised and teaching became classroom oriented. Formal syllabus was introduced. Subjects chosen by a few got imposed on learners. The snippets of Gurukulam stayed around for another century or so, thanks to the spirit of performing arts. Later they too were lured by the degree or diploma certificates awarded by institutes for better opportunities.
The Epic Story
In the popular epic story, when Sri Krishna and Sudama meet up on a reunion, they recall their Gurukulam days. Krishna and Sudama were class-mates. One day their guru sends them to the forest to gather some firewood. They had a hard time threading their way through the woods and ultimately strayed deeper into the forest. The darkness had fallen and a thunderstorm too had begun. Wild animals were growling. But they were unfazed. Keeping their bundles down, they climbed atop a tree and spent the whole night there.
This may sound like another bedtime tale for kids. But it schematically presents what a Gurukulam used to be - a case study of sorts. The inmates of Gurukulam learnt the life lessons hands on and applied their own ways to counter the challenges. Success mantra was never taught to them. Sending the learners to the forest to gather firewood was just that. Parents would hesitate to burden their kids with chores. That is quite normal. But a teacher has to be objective. If it were not for Gurukulam, the kids would not have gone to the forest in the dark to gather firewood, confronted the trouble and cleared out of it. How will you learn to swim, unless you really get into water? Educators these days say that school is not simply a place to give instructions, but is preparation for life itself. Weren’t the Gurukulams validating this? The concept we preach now is the concept they proved then.
The Concept Remains Relevant
The teachers these days advise the students to be empathetic to others unmindful of their background. Krishna and Sudama were from extremely diverse backgrounds, one was rich and the other poor; one was dark and other fair, one was a Yadava and other a Brahmin. Still they were peers, studied together and lived together. Can there be a better example of socially sensitive kids?
Student teacher rapport is a timeless element in successful learning. Most of the student-teacher conflicts stem out of a deficient tie between them. If a sense of belonging exists, the student does not feel offended when a teacher scolds him. In Gurukulam teacher and student lived together sharing a reciprocal relationship – the relationship that went beyond a formal “hallo”. Their joy and anxiety were exchanged. The guru’s son had a chronic illness. He was saddened at this. He lacked the resources to treat the child. This anxiety made him rude. The student understands the problem and extends a helping hand. Do such incidents happen in today’s class rooms?
These days it is mandatory for the students of many business schools to stay in the campus hostels (not in the pandemic times though). Faculties too are present there. Students are free to interact with the faculty on the spot even beyond the class hours. Assignments are discussed and projects are shaped during these after-hour discussions. This flexibility was ingrained in the Gurukulam scheme. We have read how Arjuna woke up Dronacharya in the middle of the night to practice special weapons.
Gurukulam is a dateless concept. Its fundamentals are facilitating the current learning process, randomly though. Exploring Gurukulam’s utility can be likened to checking out the use of a coconut tree. The moment you start concluding that a particular part is the most desirable, you spot upon another one which has a better use. That is potential unlimited.
Tail Piece:
The tag “Gurukulam” is now a branding essential for academia, so to say. A quick search on Google for schools would definitely yield you scores of ‘Gurukulams’. Do these Gurukulams strike a chord between the trend or tradition or do they just invoke the emotional connect to gain traction?
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