Aligning educational and learning capitals for gifted and talented students in the Indian context: a collaborative autoethnographic study

Gifted education in India is shaped by the interplay of cultural traditions, socio-economic conditions, and institutional frameworks. This article examines that landscape through the Educational and Learning Capital Model (ELCM) and indigenous frameworks and proposes an Ecosystem Model of Giftedness Development reflecting Indian parallels from the findings. Using collaborative autoethnography and document analysis, the study explores how five educational capitals and five learning capitals are shaped in Indian contexts. Findings reveal strong reservoirs of cultural, social and didactic capital, rooted in family expectations, community networks and mentoring traditions, alongside fragile economic and infrastructural supports that limit access for many high-potential learners, particularly girls, rural youth and students outside English-medium systems. Telic and attentional capitals emerge as especially vulnerable to examination pressures, digital distraction and mental health concerns, yet can be strengthened through Panchakosha, based nurturing camps and yoga practices and guru-shishya style mentoring. With this backdrop, recent policy reforms, notably the National Education Policy 2020 (Ministry of Education, Citation2020), advocate for differentiated curricula, teacher training, and equitable access within an ELCM-informed, culturally grounded framework. Harnessing India’s indigenous traditions alongside contemporary pedagogical approaches can better support gifted learners to realize their potential and contribute creatively, ethically, and meaningfully to society.