Vigyan Ashram ( mr, विज्ञान आश्रम) is a learning center for contemplation and study of ancient Indian philosophy belonging to the Indian Institute of Education (IIE) Pune, established by Dr. S. S. Kalbag in 1983. It's a modern version of the old

Gurukula A or ( sa, गुरुकुल, gurukul) is a type of education system in ancient India with ('students' or 'disciples') living near or with the guru, in the same house. The guru-shishya tradition is a sacred one in Hinduism and possibly ...

system of 'simple living and high thinking'. Vigyan Ashram is located in the village

Pabal Pabal, is a panchayat village in Shirur Taluka in Pune district of state of Maharashtra, India. It is located in the northwest corner of the taluka, bordering on Ambegaon Taluka to the north and Khed Taluka to the west. It lies on the left (no ...

, approx. from

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

. It is situated on Shirur Road,

Rajgurunagar Rajgurunagar (Khed) is a census town in the Pune Metropolitan Region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated on the bank of river Bhima and Pune-Nasik National Highway It is the headquarters of Khed taluka in the Pune district. Etym ...

. Population of

is around 10,000. There are several small hamlets attached to Pabal, which make Pabal the central market place for the region. Pabal is drought-prone and truly representative of a template Indian village. The idea of establishing Vigyan Ashram at Pabal was to design a blueprint template of the highest principles presented systematically and logically to modern intellects so that everyone can be equipped with knowledge of life and living. Literally meaning that whatever the participants practice and do at the Ashram can be replicated in any part of the country. In English “Vigyan” means ‘Search of Truth’ and “Ashram” symbolizes ‘Simple living and high thinking for us, an organization where all are equal, a modern version of the old Gurukul system’.

Technology Development and Education

Fab Lab Vigyan Ashram runs a fabrication labrotory to teach use of various tools, machines and produces locally made technological gadgets.

DBRT (Diploma in Basic Rural Technology)

DBRT is a one-year residential diploma course offered at Vigyan Ashram. This course is recognized by the

National Institute of Open Schooling The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), formerly National Open School (name changed in 2002), is the board of education under the Union Government of India. It was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Gove ...

and useful for students interested to learn by hand. It is a multi-skill program in which training is given in the areas of: *Engineering - fabrication & construction, basic carpentry, engineering drawing & costing. *Energy & Environment - electrical, Motor rewinding, survey techniques, solar/biogas, etc. *Home and Health -

sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fab ...

, food processing, and rural lab. *Agriculture and Animal Husbandry playhouse, poultry, goat farming, dairy nursery techniques.

External Support

Many Government, private organizations and individual donors support the program. Trustees of the Indian Institute of Education manage Vigyan Ashram.

Gallery

File:Shrinath Kalbag photo at Vigyan Ashram.jpg, Shrinath Kalbag photo at Vigyan Ashram File:Mira Kalbhag(Amma).jpg, Mira Kalbhag(Amma) File:QR code for Pabal.png, QR code for Pabal File:Vigyan Ashram Pabal-front.jpg, Vigyan Ashram Pabal-front File:Vigyan Ashram Fab Lab 0.jpg, Vigyan Ashram Fab Lab 0 File:Vigyan Ashram 02.jpg, Vigyan Ashram 02 File:Vigyan Ashram Pabal-Workshop Building.jpg, Vigyan Ashram Pabal-Workshop Building File:Vigyan Ashram 01.jpg,

Geodesic dome A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic polyhedron. The triangular elements of the dome are structurally rigid and distribute the structural stress throughout the structure, making geodesic do ...

constructed by students. File:Vigyan Ashram 02.jpg, Simple shed constructed by students. Residence of Late Dr SS Kalbag founder of Vigyan Ashram. File:Vigyan Ashram 03.jpg, Joint

geodesic dome A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic polyhedron. The triangular elements of the dome are structurally rigid and distribute the structural stress throughout the structure, making geodesic do ...

s constructed by the students. File:Vigyan Ashram 04.jpg, Workshop cum Fab Lab building. File:Vigyan Ashram 05.jpg, Office building. File:Savitrichya Online Leki (Savitri's Online Daughters).webm, Savitrichya Online Leki (Savitri's Online Daughters)

References

External links