Guru Purnima special: How Gen Z is redefining the rules of learning in classical arts
The traditional guru-sishya parampara in Indian classical arts is evolving as Gen Z students demand more interactive and less hierarchical relationships with their teachers. While some veteran artists emphasize the value of personal mentorship, others acknowledge that teaching methods must adapt to modern communication styles.
Why it matters
This reflects broader cultural shifts in how traditional knowledge systems are transmitted and preserved in an increasingly digital and egalitarian society.
This year’s Guru Purnima felt markedly different. Coming in the wake of a major student-led protest and an unusual moment of collective introspection, it highlighted a generational shift with young people demanding to be heard and asserting their agency. That impulse is also reshaping the guru-sishya parampara in Indian classical arts, where the teacher-disciple relationship is becoming less hierarchical and more interactive.
Social media has accelerated this change, much like it recently helped build the narrative around Gen-Z across the country.
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