Pabo Gurukul

Ancient Wisdom Nilung Tungko

Established in July 2023 by the Donyi Polo Cultural & Charitable Trust, Nilung Tungko Pabo Gurukul is the fourth in its series of schools across Arunachal Pradesh. Located in Pabo, Komsing village of Siang district, the Gurukul currently runs classes up to Grade III and has 75 students enrolled. Like the other Gurukuls, it blends the CBSE curriculum with indigenous learning, offering children academic growth while grounding them in their own cultural traditions. This balance is especially significant as the school serves children of the Adi community, whose heritage is both rich and deeply tied to the land.

The Adi people, one of the largest tribal groups of Arunachal Pradesh, are the primary inhabitants of Siang and its neighbouring districts. Agriculture is central to their lives, with families practising both wet rice cultivation and shifting cultivation (jhum), growing rice, maize, millet, pulses, and vegetables. Their deep relationship with the land and forests provides food, building materials, medicinal plants, and ritual resources, sustaining both livelihood and cultural identity.

Festivals such as Solung, observed in early September after the sowing season, highlight the Adi community’s close ties with agriculture and nature. Celebrated with rituals, the Ponung dance, and communal feasts, Solung embodies their collective spirit and prayers for prosperity. Another important festival, Aran (Unying), heralds the shifting-cultivation cycle and reinforces unity through rituals and gatherings.

Weaving remains one of their most valued traditions, with women producing textiles on backstrap looms. The designs often draw inspiration from daily life, myths, and the natural world, and the garments are worn with pride during rituals and festivals. These crafts, along with oral traditions and ecological knowledge, are vital to the Adi identity but face increasing challenges as lifestyles and social patterns change.

Nilung Tungko Pabo Gurukul responds to this need by giving young learners the tools of modern education while ensuring their language, customs, and ancestral wisdom remain alive. It is a space where the future of the Adi people is shaped through knowledge that honours both progress and heritage.

Holistic Education

CBSE curriculum enhanced with indigenous values and traditional knowledge systems.

Cultural Heritage

Preserving Nyishi traditions through language, crafts, and ancestral wisdom.

Nature Connection

Environmental stewardship and outdoor learning in pristine natural settings.

Character Building

Discipline, self-reliance, and

community values through

daily practice.

Ancient Wisdom
Nilung Tungko

Established in July 2023 by the Donyi Polo Cultural & Charitable Trust, Nilung Tungko Pabo Gurukul is the fourth in its series of schools across Arunachal Pradesh. Located in Pabo, Komsing village of Siang district, the Gurukul currently runs classes up to Grade III and has 75 students enrolled. Like the other Gurukuls, it blends the CBSE curriculum with indigenous learning, offering children academic growth while grounding them in their own cultural traditions. This balance is especially significant as the school serves children of the Adi community, whose heritage is both rich and deeply tied to the land.

The Adi people, one of the largest tribal groups of Arunachal Pradesh, are the primary inhabitants of Siang and its neighbouring districts. Agriculture is central to their lives, with families practising both wet rice cultivation and shifting cultivation (jhum), growing rice, maize, millet, pulses, and vegetables. Their deep relationship with the land and forests provides food, building materials, medicinal plants, and ritual resources, sustaining both livelihood and cultural identity.

Festivals such as Solung, observed in early September after the sowing season, highlight the Adi community’s close ties with agriculture and nature. Celebrated with rituals, the Ponung dance, and communal feasts, Solung embodies their collective spirit and prayers for prosperity. Another important festival, Aran (Unying), heralds the shifting-cultivation cycle and reinforces unity through rituals and gatherings.

Weaving remains one of their most valued traditions, with women producing textiles on backstrap looms. The designs often draw inspiration from daily life, myths, and the natural world, and the garments are worn with pride during rituals and festivals. These crafts, along with oral traditions and ecological knowledge, are vital to the Adi identity but face increasing challenges as lifestyles and social patterns change.

Nilung Tungko Pabo Gurukul responds to this need by giving young learners the tools of modern education while ensuring their language, customs, and ancestral wisdom remain alive. It is a space where the future of the Adi people is shaped through knowledge that honours both progress and heritage.