Published Paper Details:

Programming, in a nutshell, represents a systematic form of reasoning that aligns human thought processes with machine execution. This paper proposes an innovative way of teaching Python programming through analogies and stories borrowed from the Mahabharata, India's great epic. Due to its simplicity, clarity, and object-oriented architecture, Python is an ideal medium for conceptual knowledge when combined with culture-friendly teaching methods. The study utilizes a constructivist and experience-based learning paradigm to design a four-stage instructional framework consisting of the identification of concepts, mythological mapping, narration of exemplars, and reflective abstraction. In such an instructional design, students make connections between programming constructs--conditionals, loops, functions, etc. and the logical narration of events in epics, such as Arjuna's moral dilemmas or the repetitive pattern of dharmic actions in the Kurukshetra war. This design encourages learners' cognitive internalization of coding principles through analogical reasoning in their cultural background, thus boosting their engagement, conceptual knowledge, and information retention. The methodology also simultaneously facilitates the integration of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) with STEM education by reframing programming as a humanistic, moral, and intellectual endeavor rather than an exclusive mechanical duty. The study concludes that contextual and narration-based instruction greatly enhances computational thinking along with cultural relevance, thus integrating ancient wisdom with modern pedagogy.