You might have seen pictures of the ancient Indian education system where students are being taught by their teachers (gurus) under trees.
Many would have wondered why they were taught in the open air under the trees rather than in classrooms in a building. Many foreigners might have thought that this was due to the poverty in this third world country.
Well , it must be mentioned here that among the students who studied under the trees were not only students from normal or poor families, but also from wealthy families and even princes, whose fathers would have built up a huge building for the better education of their children, who were to become the successors of their kingdoms.
The students in that time, including the princes, went to study in Gurukuls (learning centres and a type of boarding school).
Nowadays it is common for students to sit on chairs or benches and write down the important points or content of the lectures in a notebook placed on a table next to the benches.
However, the advantage of learning under the trees is that the oxygen levels and attention under the trees are so high that what is taught can be easily grasped and memorized by the mind without the need to write the contents in a notebook.
For this reason, in ancient India, students were taught by the learned gurus under the trees. In those days, India wore the crown of “Vishwa Guru” (knowledge leader of the world) as India was the source of knowledge for the entire world.
This explains how developed and deep was ancient Indian culture and civilization and how it has contributed to the development of human welfare and well-being.
Indian culture and civilization has developed around nature and therefore you will witness the presence of nature and its elements in our daily life and rituals. Sustainability is a core element of our culture and lifestyle, something the rest of the world is just now recognizing and on which they are now working on.