THE LAKSHMAN DUNGRI HILLS on the outskirts of Jaipur look weather-beaten, redeemed only slightly by the shrubs that grow on the rocky terrain. Set in their midst is the Khole Ke Hanuman Ji—a popular destination for the devout—where a bright orange idol of Lord Hanuman presides over proceedings. Up a flight of stairs from the main level of the shrine, away from the rush of devotees, the air resonates with Vedic chants.
Seated on the floor of a spacious hall are the students of a Ved Vidyalaya. The pupils, boys between 10 and 17, are in white dhotis and kurtas, with a teeka on their foreheads completing the look. They are in different stages of a five-year course that focuses on learning the Yajur Veda. One of the four vedas, it is a compilation of hymns and instructions on how rituals are to be performed.
The Ved Vidyalaya, run by the Shri Narwar Ashram Sewa Samiti, is one of 26 such residential schools operating with the Rajasthan government’s support. Education here is free, and only about 10 students are taken in every year. While private players—a temple trust or social institution—provide the infrastructure, the government, through the Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, funds these schools and decides the curriculum and the academic calendar. The Academy comes under the state’s art and culture department.
This Vidyalaya was started in 2017 with a batch of five boys; it now has 35 students and a fresh batch of 10 will join in July. The education is in the gurukul format, with the boys staying away from home and learning in a simple setting.
Denne historien er fra May 21, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 21, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI