FROM CLASSROOM TO COMMUNITY: CULTURAL IDENTITY FORMATION IN ODISHA’S SHISHU VIDYA MANDIRS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v6.i2.2025.5786Keywords:
Shishu Vidya Mandir, Cultural Identity, Odisha, Indigenous Education, Nationalism, Curriculum, Symbolic EducationAbstract [English]
This article examines how Shishu Vidya Mandirs (SVMs) in Odisha contribute to cultural identity formation among school children. Based entirely on secondary sources, it draws from existing research on indigenous education, cultural pedagogy, and nationalist schooling to explore how these institutions embed Bharatiya values through curriculum, rituals, and symbolic practices. SVMs aim to foster moral development and national pride by integrating Vedic traditions, Sanskritised teachings, and community-based festivals into everyday school life. Positioned as culturally rooted alternatives to mainstream education, they seek to strengthen local identities while aligning students with a broader Hindu-nationalist vision. However, this emphasis on a singular cultural narrative raises important questions about inclusivity and the representation of diverse communities, especially tribal and minority groups. The article calls for a more pluralistic approach to culturally responsive education that respects India’s rich diversity while maintaining the strengths of traditional value-based learning.
References
Apple, M. W. (2004). Ideology and Curriculum. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203487563
Banks, J. A. (2006). Cultural Diversity and Education: Foundations, Curriculum, and Teaching. Pearson.
Battiste, M. (2002). Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy in First Nations education: A literature review.
Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The Location of Culture. Routledge.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital.
Dash, S. (2021). Indigenous Models of Education in Odisha: A Study of Shishu Vidya Mandirs. Journal of Tribal Studies, 12(1), 34–47.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Herder and Herder.
Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the Prison Notebooks.
Hall, S. (1996). Who needs 'identity'? In Questions of Cultural Identity. Sage.
Joshi, R. (2016). Gurukul System of Education and Its Modern Implications.
Mishra, B. (2018). Education and Cultural Nationalism in India.
Mukherjee, A. (2011). Pedagogies of Nationhood.
Nanda, M. (2009). The God Market: How Globalization is Making India More Hindu.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. (1986). Decolonising the Mind.
Pathak, A. (2017). Reclaiming Pedagogy: Vidya Bharati and the Cultural Politics of Schooling in India.
Rao, K. (2017). Sanskrit as a Cultural Language in Schools.
Sen, A. (2005). The Argumentative Indian.
Sharma, R. (2022). Cultural Identity through Curriculum: The Vidya Bharati Approach.
Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing Methodologies.
Srinivas, M. N. (1956). A Note on Sanskritization and Westernization. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2941919
Tagore, R. (1917). Nationalism.
Tripathy, P. (2021). Narratives of Belonging in Odisha’s Tribal Education.
Vidya Bharati. (2020). Shiksha Darshan.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Saswati Jena, Diptishree Dasha, Guddi Saktinanda, Nibedita Dhal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
