Rishi Gurukulam, CBSE Residential School
Pushpavalli's first professional role was Programme Manager at Rishi Gurukulam, a CBSE residential school rooted in ancient Indian learning traditions. Between 2002 and 2005, she encountered Gurukul practices as part of everyday education: voice based learning, rhythm, peer teaching, and natural memory techniques.
The question that emerged at Rishi Gurukulam was not simply how to teach more material, but what conditions make learning easier and more joyful for a child. It became the thread connecting the next stages of her work.
What stayed with her was the way children responded. In her account, they approached substantial amounts of learning with enjoyment and less stress or fear. She observed students grasping subjects more quickly than she had expected, and began looking closely at the methods that supported them.
This experience became the starting point for a continuing enquiry into how children understand, remember, and apply what they learn. Her later study of child psychology, cognitive science, educational neuroscience, and neuroplasticity grew alongside that practical interest.