By the colonial era the gurukula system was declining in India except in a few regions, such as Kerala, where the warrior Nair clan and their own military gurukula, called kalari, still maintained the tradition.
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Vedic school of thought prescribes an initiation (Upanayana, a compulsory sanskara or activity for a Hindu living) to all individuals, including women, before the age of 8 or latest by 12.
Satyapriya's conviction is guided by his ascetic grandfather 'Daddaji' Satyasharan Acharya (Ashok Kumar)'s world views, whose pursuit of truth has led to him living in isolation in a Gurukula studying religious philosophy and observing a variety of rigid rituals.
Later on M. Balamuralikrishna took him under his tutelage in the traditional Gurukula System in Madras for nearly 5 years.