DIGITAL GURU-ŚIṢYA: REIMAGINING INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM PEDAGOGIES FOR THE 21ST-CENTURY CLASSROOM

The Guru-Śiṣya tradition, central to the Indian Knowledge System (IKS), emphasizes relational mentorship, holistic development, and value-based education. In the 21st century, the expansion of digital and blended learning has raised urgent questions about how this tradition can be preserved and reinterpreted without losing its humanistic essence. The objectives of this paper are to identify the core values of the Guru-Śiṣya model, examine its digital adaptations, explore challenges in sustaining relational depth, and propose a framework for integrating it into modern pedagogy. Using a qualitative exploratory design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight educators from diverse disciplines and institutional settings in North Bengal. Thematic analysis revealed four key findings: (1) trust, respect, and holistic development remain foundational but are harder to sustain online; (2) digital tools such as video conferencing, flipped classrooms, and digital storytelling extend mentorship and cultural value transmission; (3) challenges include the loss of non-verbal immediacy, digital fatigue, and inequitable access; and (4) hybrid approaches, such as “virtual gurukuls,” offer sustainable pathways for integrating tradition with modern pedagogy. Based on these insights, a Digital Guru-Śiṣya Framework is proposed to align technology with culturally rooted relational practices. The study contributes to educational philosophy, teacher training, and policy discourse by offering a culturally sensitive, digitally adaptive model for higher education that preserves the essence of the Guru-Śiṣya tradition while preparing students for the demands of the 21st century.