Title: Holistic development of learners: a case study of selected Indian gurukuls for modern-age education

Authors: Amit Kishore Sinha; Sanjay Saxena; Sandeep Singh

Addresses: Chandigarh University, Unnao Campus, Uttar Pradesh, India ' School of Management Sciences, Varanasi, Village-Khushipur, P.O. Bachhaon, Varanasi, 221011, Uttar Pradesh, India ' School of Management Sciences, Varanasi, Village-Khushipur, P.O. Bachhaon, Varanasi, 221011, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract: Globally educational institutions are trying to improve their teaching pedagogies and resources to ensure the overall development of students. Schools are putting sincere efforts towards the betterment of the learning environment. But still, some of the areas of a student's personality are not significantly developed in modern schools. If we look at the ancient Indian period, 'Gurukuls' were at the centre of learning. Even today too few gurukuls are operating in the world. Through this paper, the authors are trying to study the activities conducted for learners at the gurukuls. To identify significant features of gurukul education system, case study method is being used. The authors visited two prominent gurukuls of India, interviewed the administrators, teachers, and students, and summarised the findings. After a detailed analysis of the collected information, it is found that many gurukul-related activities can be used by modern-age educational institutions for the holistic development of students.

Keywords: holistic education; gurukul education; school education; ancient Indian education system; Indian knowledge system.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2025.144905

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2025 Vol.34 No.3, pp.365 - 388

Received: 26 Aug 2022
Accepted: 17 Apr 2023
Published online: 07 Mar 2025 *

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