Digital Transformations of the Mahabharata: Narrative Innovations and Game- based Pedagogy

Abstract

The unification of digital technologies into education offers many possibilities for reinterpret regional stories through involvement, participation and learner-centred attainable pedagogies. The paper focuses on the use of digital storytelling and gamification in a teacher-taught tool of understanding cultural, historical and socio- political narratives of the Mahabharata within the contemporary educational context. As this is one of the major scriptures of Sanatan Dharma, it presents complex themes of ethical, moral, spiritual, and leadership responsibilities, which give it a more existential and critical learning. Rooted upon a constructive approach, this paper highlights how storytelling can transform the complete approach of the work. The paper asserts that the digital and gamified adaptation of the Mahabharata nurture deeper understanding, cultural literacy, and reflective thoughtful approach while maintaining inclusion in the whole epic. Finally, the paper tries to answer the queries that how ancient storytelling traditions are relevant in modern educational approaches to make it more relevant in day-to-day life. In this paper, Mahabharata is depicted as a crucial teaching tool rather than only a mythological or religious work. The Mahabharata epic is full of numerous layers of meaning and the questions that arises from the tales it highlighted about right and wrong, justice and responsibility. The issues that are presented in the epic is equally important and relevant in the contemporary times both in social and private sphere. As a result, the epic is rich in material for classroom discussions, introspections, and value-based learning. The paper tries to explore how digital storytelling can make these complex concepts can be better understood by the students. Despite, reading the long epic, learners can connect with it through interactive tasks, visual narratives and story based digital platform. Students can have more understanding of the characters and their dilemmas in more personal way. Instead of just memorization, this kind of interaction can make them think critically. The other useful teaching strategy that is explored is gamification. When students start to imagine themselves in the circumstances similar to those faced by the characters in Mahabharata, through game of choices and role play, they can understand the concepts more clearly and precisely. For eg, if they were in place of Arjuna or Bhisma what choices they would have have and what decisions they would had taken in the similar situations considering the potential consequences. Instead of only reading the Dharma, students should experience its complexity and begin to realize that there is no fixed rule, but it varies depending on the situation and conditions. This study is based on the idea that active participation of students in the learning process improves their better comprehension of their material. In contrast of passive listening, the active involvement of mind through constructive approach holds the knowledge through interactions and engagements. Digital storytelling and gamification facilities this type of learning by giving students opportunities to ask questions and express their views in the present-day life situations similar to those mentioned in Mahabharata. The active involvement of students makes the classroom more inclusive as all students could share different viewpoints and perspectives.