The summer holidays spent in Nanaji’s village in Tamil Nadu in the 1960s were actually summer classes. Usually we were woken up between 4 to 4.30 in the morning and all the brothers and sisters were given some work. For example, the eldest child will draw water from the well and fill the pots called ‘Hunda’ kept in the backyard, while the younger children will help the elders. There was no tea or coffee for the children. Ragi porridge was always available. This made the stomach feel so full that there was no need to eat anything else till lunch at 10 o’clock. Between 4.30 and 10 o’clock children had to take bath with cold water from the well. Then one had to go to the temple, clean the surroundings, wash hands and feet, recite shlokas with Nana, eat hot prasad from the priest and while returning home, bring some cooking items from the market for Nani. After reaching home, he would help his grandmother in grinding spices like ‘gun powder’ for idli-dosa. He would fold his clothes and put them in the suitcase, so that there would be space on the rope for the freshly washed clothes. These were some daily tasks, which had to be completed before lunch. After this we had to read spiritual books, where our Sanskrit pronunciation was tested. Meanings were asked and there were even quizzes. Nanaji used to ask, ‘Vedas are the oldest religious texts in the world, who compiled them?’ If we could not answer, he would give options, like ‘Vishwamitra, Vyas, Valmiki and Vashishtha.’ If we still remained silent, he would not only tell the correct answer (Vyas), but would also narrate the entire story – so that we would never forget. He explains how earlier the Vedas were the only source of knowledge and how Ved Vyas divided them into four parts. Naniji would also sit with us after closing the kitchen for a while and then the games would start. In the afternoon, adults would drink coffee, while children would bring coconuts from the backyard and enjoy its water and the leftover coconut. In the evening one had to go to the temple again, perform aarti and return home before 7 pm to have dinner. Then there was time to listen to stories with grandfather. Normally by 8.30 there would be peace in the village and everyone would fall into deep sleep. Our house was no less than a Gurukul, where children would wake up early, study, help in the household work – yet their enthusiasm would remain till bedtime. Now coming to 2026. If you’re a parent of teenagers, bedtime can become a battlefield at home. Modern parents become ‘Sleep Cop’, or should we say ‘Bedtime Cop’ – because every parent is worried about whether their children are sleeping properly and whether they will be tired for school/college the next day. We know we are setting them up for failure, yet we tell them to go to bed when their bodies are not ready for sleep. Simply put, we expect children to ignore the natural body clock. So what can parents do? Encourage children to schedule regular rest periods. Do pre-sleep activities that don’t involve screens. Have practical expectations about when their body is ready for sleep. There are also apps that guide youth in creating personalized plans for sleep and the body clock. Gradually increase activities that help them establish stable sleep and wake times and increase sleep duration. The idea is to adopt a Gurukul-like lifestyle in your home for at least this summer vacation, so that you don’t have to be a ‘sleep cop’ for the rest of the year.
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: In Gurukuls, children are woken up at 4 o’clock, while we remain ‘sleep cops’ at home.
