Authors: Tarun Prakash, Dr. Hradayesh Kumar
Abstract: This article conducts a comparative study of the educational philosophies of Raja Mahendra Pratap, Mahatma Gandhi and Madan Mohan Malaviya amid colonial India's evolving educational landscape. It gives a short overview of Indian education from indigenous Pathshalas to Macaulay's Anglicised education recommendation and Woods Despatch. It critiques British policies of fostering cultural alienation, prompting nationalist alternatives rooted in self-reliance, morality and cultural revival. Raja Mahendra Pratap, often overshadowed as a revolutionary, established Prem Mahavidyalaya in Vrindavan as a free vocational, caste-inclusive institution blending Hindi-medium academics with modern science subjects. He Emphasised practical crafts (three hours study, three hours’ work), ethical training and universal humanism inspired by "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam." Gandhi's Nai Talim (Wardha Scheme, 1937) emphasised craft-centred basic education, mother-tongue instruction and character-building through non-violence and labour dignity, targeting mass rural upliftment. Malaviya's Banaras Hindu University (1916) integrated modern science with Hindu spiritual values for national consolidation. Similarities in these educationists include, experiential learning, vocational focus and rejection of colonial rote system. While differences emerge in scope—Pratap’s technical emphasis in secondary education, Gandhi's primary mass orientation and Malaviya’s cultural nationalism in higher education. The analysis underscores their enduring relevance for holistic, skill-based education promoting ethical global citizenship and social equity.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19284938
