Udayan Bhaarat: Where School Children Learn Leadership Lessons from History and Neeti Shaastra

Have you considered this? When children learn History, they should learn about Character, Purpose, Values, Strategy, Decision Making, Attention to detail, and indeed Leadership as well (not just historic accounts). These are all part of Eternal Indian Wisdom, as Neeti Shaastra, or the Science (and Art) of Governance.

Now imagine: this, combined with an immersive field experience, the creative minds of these very young Leaders can become fertile grounds for powerful ideas for their own development. Further, imagine that these ideas are given the opportunity to succeed through action projects, then incredible transformation can happen in the Indian education ecosystem. This is precisely what is unfolding at The Wonder School, Pune; with the help of Chiranjeev Gurukul, through the Udayan Bhaarat Series 1.

Using Chiranjeev Gurukul’s trademark 7S Learning methodology, the first six sessions thought the basics of Eternal Indian Wisdom such as Dharm, Seva; the qualities of Leadership such as Vinaykaam (seeking to be disciplined), Kritagyata (attitude of gratitude), Shushrusha (hunger to listen/ learn); powerful tools such as Panchaaang (5 prong plan) of Kautilya and Dincharya, as well; while simultaneously examining the inspiring life of Chhatrapati Shivajiraje.

Come the seventh session, the scene shifted halfway from the classroom of The Wonder School, to the bedroom of Shaista Khan on the night of 5th April 1663, at Lal Mahaal near Kasba Peth. All the previous lessons came alive when these young Leaders were able to visualize how the Dharm of Shivajiraje, etched in his royal seal (Rajmudra), combined with above Leadership qualities inculcated since a very tender age by his mother Jijabai, led to a meticulous Panchaang-based plan to carry out a surgical strike at the Lal Mahaal, occupied by the Khan illegally, for three years.

Such was the impact of that strike carried out stealthily by Raje, in a city guarded by a lakh Mughal soldiers, that it accomplished the objective of putting permanent fear into the heart of Khan (and his associates), that having fled Pune, he never returned back again, to trouble Raje or the citizens of the Deccan. History was never more fascinating and the young Leaders reveled in this “Live” experience.

Not only have they started the ground work for their “social” Projects, but they also look forward to make their final presentations to the parents and teachers. Bhaarat does not need to learn from Finland or Japan, but simply get back to its own roots and adapt! This will create History…