Gurukul Education

The joyful, teacher-centered, and study-focused Gurukul education has always promoted holistic development along with knowledge acquisition. Indian culture is the oldest culture in the world, flowing continuously like the Ganges. Despite facing numerous challenges and invasions, it has maintained its eternal duty as the world teacher. Gurukul education is a system that provides direction to the world.

Respecting the Guru or teacher in society makes the community self-respecting and the nation capable. Gurukuls play a crucial role in instilling respect for teachers in students. Students who receive education from various Gurukul traditions should make India proud globally, and Gurukul education should become mainstream. The Gurukul tradition should continue to work towards making India's uninterrupted, flowing culture immortal.

Gurukul education has been the foundation for keeping Indian culture alive from ancient times to the present day. India remained a global leader as long as prestigious Gurukuls like Nalanda, Vikramshila, and Vallabhi were effective. Along with yoga and spirituality, India made the highest contributions in economic standards like commerce and trade. British economist Dr. Angus Maddison, in his book 'The Economic History of the World: Millennial Perspective,' demonstrated with facts that until the early 15th century, India was the world's largest and most prosperous nation in terms of production. By the early 19th century, India accounted for over 23 percent of the world's gross production.

Foreign travelers who came to India have written extensive descriptions of the Gurukuls. According to them, these Gurukuls were extremely prosperous and developed. There are descriptions in their travelogues of large buildings, multi-storied hostels housing thousands of students, accommodation for teachers, grand laboratories, study rooms, and libraries. After the brutal destruction of Nalanda University by Mughal invader Bakhtiyar Khilji in the 12th century, other Gurukuls in the country gradually limited their reach. Instead of large Gurukuls, decentralized schools developed in villages, and the education work continued uninterrupted.

The survey conducted by British collectors in over 700,000 villages from 1819-1830 provides a panoramic view of this widespread and inclusive education system. Education was available in all villages. British surveyors wrote that children of all castes and communities were taught various subjects in India. This proves that education in India was capable, self-sufficient, and prosperous.

In 1835, the British transformed the roots of India's knowledge tree into English education, thus limiting it. The 100 percent literate India gradually became illiterate. At the time of independence, the literacy rate in India was only 18 percent, and its contribution to global production had fallen to 2 percent. This parallel rise and fall of India's educational and economic history is evident.