Sunny June morning

On a sunny June morning, sacred hymns reverberate in tranquil surroundings of the mutt. Seemingly estranged from the outside world of iPhones and cloud-computing, students between the ages of 8 and 20 sit on the floor in ordered rows. There are no desks or benches. They listen pensively and debate judiciously in separate groups.

It was in 1956 that the Pejawar seer took up the initiative to start this institution when Bangalore was gearing up to blossom as a centre for science and research. More than 300 students study here, says AV Nagasampige, director of Poornaprajna Samshodhana Mandiram.

According to him, 'invasion' of innovation has seldom taken away the importance of ancient knowledge. "Today, education has become a money-spinning business. Our focus is on value-based education," he adds.