Gujarat Vidyapith is a deemed university in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It was founded in 1920 by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, the leader of the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal ...

, and deemed a university in 1963.

Etymology

"Vidyapith," in many

languages of India Languages spoken in India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-European languages spoken by 78.05% of Indians and the Dravidian languages spoken by 19.64% of Indians, both families together are sometimes know ...

, means university.

History

Jawaharlal Nehru during his visit to Gujarat Vidyapeeth, February 1949

The university was founded on 18 October 1920 as a 'Rashtriya Vidyapith' ('National University') by

, who would serve throughout his life as the ''kulpati'' (chancellor) and all needs of Fund collected by sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by his personal relations and capacity. The Gujarat Vidyapith was started in Dahyabhai Mehta's bungalow behind the Kocharab Ashram (the Kocharab Aashram was started in barrister Jivanlal Desai's bungalow). Its purpose was to promote educational institutions run by Indians for Indians outside the financial and governing control of British authorities. The university helped nationalists establish a system of education for all Indians, thus proving the country's independence from British-run institutions and de-legitimizing the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

. Its foundation was one of the important event of an initiative satyagraha launched by Gandhi as a means to peacefully terminate British rule in India. The vidyapith's foundation was emulated by nationalists in Benares,

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to ...

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and in many cities across India. Answering Gandhi's call to boycott British institutions, influences and goods, many thousands of students and teachers left British colleges to join the Vidyapith. People like

Jivatram Kripalani Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani (11 November 1888 – 19 March 1982), popularly known as Acharya Kripalani, was an Indian politician, noted particularly for holding the presidency of the Indian National Congress during the transfer of power in ...

and

Nanabhai Bhatt Nanabhai Bhatt (12 June 1915 – 24 April 1999) was an Indian film director and producer who worked in Hindi and Gujarati cinema. He is known for making over a hundred fantasy and mythological films, including ''Mr. X'' (1957), ''Zimbo Comes ...

volunteered to teach. The Gujarat Vidyapith became a 'deemed university' in 1963. It is funded and governed by the University Grants Commission, under the Union Ministry for Human Resources Development in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

. Although considerably modernized in its structure and curriculum, the university maintains its commitment to Gandhian ideals, human studies, social service and development work.

Goals

The institution officially embraced Gandhi's goals as its mission: *Adherence to truth and non-violence *Participation in productive work with a sense of dignity of labour *Acceptance of equality of religions *Priority for the needs of village dwellers in all curricula and *Use of mother-tongue as a medium of instructions

Organisation and administration

Colleges

The colleges and institutions with the university are *Shikshan Vidyashakha (College of Education), Ahmedabad *Hindi Teacher Training College, Ahmedabad *Mahadevbhai Desai Gramseva Mahavidyalaya, Radheja *Mahadevbhai Desai Gramseva Mahavidyalaya (College), Sadara *Mahadevbhai Desai Sharirik Shikshan Mahavidyalaya (College of Physical Education), Sadara *Center for Rural Management, Randheja The university offers a wide range of degrees, including Ph.D. programs and doctoral studies. It continues to emphasize social service, Gandhian studies and subjects associated with religion, human studies, culture and public service.

Departments and centres

*Department of History and Culture (offers full-time courses: M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D.) *Tribal Research & Training Institute (TRTI) *Hindi Prachar Samiti (Hindi Bhavan) *Bharatiya Bhasha Sanskruti Kendra *Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Studies in Ahimsa (Peace Research Institute) *Department of Adult and Continuing Education & Extension Work including Population Education *State Resource Centre (SRC) for Adult & Continuing Education including Population Education *Gujarat Vidyapith Library (Gandhi Bhavan) *Publication Department *Rural Service Extension Centre *Krishi Vigyan Kendras ** Krishi Vigyan Kendra - Randheja (Gandhinagar) (Agriculture Science Centre) *P.G. Center for Studies in Rural Management at village Randheja *International Centre for Jain Studies at Ahmedabad campus *Centre for Bio-gas Research Education & Extension at Sadra *Instrumentation Centre at village Sadra (Level-I) and Mobile Vocational Training Centre *Late Jankidevi Bajaj Centre for Naturopathy, Randheja *Bio Gas Research Center, Sadra ffers Ph.D., M.Phil., M.Sc. (2 years), B.Sc. (3 years) in MicrobiologyB.voc food processing technology (3 year) *Panchayati Raj Talim Kendra *Computer Science Department ffers two full-time courses: MCA (3 years) and PGDCA (1 year)

List of Chancellors of Gujarat Vidyapith

The following have held the post of the Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith.

References

{{authority control Gujarat in Indian independence movement Universities and colleges in Ahmedabad 1920 establishments in India Educational institutions established in 1920