Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth

Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith is a public university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is administered under the state legislature of the government of Uttar Pradesh. The university has more than 227 affiliated colleges spread over six districts of Uttar Pradesh, and lakhs of students on its roll. It is one of the largest universities of Uttar Pradesh, serving both urban and rural students. It offers a range of professional and academic courses in all disciplines of arts, science, commerce, law, computer applications and management at the university campus and affiliated colleges and institutions. Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith was established in 1921 at Varanasi, the main hub of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Foundation

Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagwan Das established the university in Varanasi, on February 10, 1921, during the non-cooperation movement of the freedom struggle. Originally named Kashi Vidyapith, the university was renamed Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith in 1995.is national educational institution.It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, on

Inspired by Gandhi's call for self-reliance and swaraj (self-rule), the Kashi Vidyapith was the first modern university organised by Indians in British India. The university, along with contemporaries such as the Jamia Millia Islamia and the Gujarat Vidyapith were outside the control and support of British authorities, supported and managed entirely by Indian nationalists and educationalists. Attracting young Indians from across the country, its faculty included prominent nationalists and scholars such as Acharya Narendra Dev, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jivatram Kripalani, Babu Shriprakash and Babu Sampurnanand. Gandhi and Indian nationalists encouraged Indians to boycott British-run institutions in favour of institutions managed entirely by Indians. Many prominent Indian industrialists and politicians provided financial and administrative support to the university.

Background

Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith owes its birth to the educational, cultural and political aspirations of pre-independence India. The early period of this institution pulsated with the National freedom struggle. The teaching faculty of the institution provided original dimensions to the concept and movement of Indian Socialism. After seeing an educational institution in Japan during his visit to that country in 1913–14, Prasad Gupt was inspired to establish an institution in India, free from government aid or interference. The boycott of government-aided educational institutions during the non-cooperation movement coupled with Mahatma Gandhi's programme of National Education exerted a great deal of influence on Prasad Gupt. As a consequence, the Vidyapith came into being. Students joining Mahatma Gandhi's boycott call took admission in the Vidyapith. Prasad Gupt established the "Har Prasad Smarak Nidhi" in memory of his deceased brother, for the operation of the Vidyapith, which subsequently proved to be a fertile nursery of National Freedom movement activities.

Bhagwan Das was the first Vice-chancellor of Kashi Vidyapith. Others =associated with the first board of Management of Kashi Vidyapith included Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jamuna Lal Bajaj, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Babu Shiva Prasad Gupt, Acharya Narendra Dev, Krishna Kant Malviya, and P.D. Tandon. The founding ceremony of the Vidyapith reverberated with the recital of Vedic Mantras as well as excerpts from the Quran in the presence of educationists, learned persons and nationalists such as Pandit Motilal Nehru, Maulana Mohammed Ali and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Alumni of Kashi Vidyapithinclude Chandra Shekhar Azad, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Kamlapati Tripathi, Raja Ram Shastri, B.V. Keskar, A.R.Shastri, Mananathnath Gupt, Pranavesh Chatterjee, T.N. Singh, Harinath Shastri, Bhola Paswan Shastri and Ram Krishna Hegde.

Established in the pre-independence era with the resolution to keep the institution away from government recognition and grants the Vidyapith was accorded the status of "Deemed University" by the U.G.C. in the year 1963.This epoch making event started a new chapter in the history of the institution.Babu Sampurnanand was appointed as the Chancellor and Acharya Birbal Singh as Vice-chancellor. As the chief minister of U.P., Pt.Kamlapati Tripathi initiated a state government resolution to make his alma mater a statutory university.On 15 January 1974,his ambition fructified. At this point of time, Prof. Raghukul Tilak was the Vice-chancellor & the Governor of U.P became the Chancellor in accordance with the U.P.University Act. At present the M.G.Kashi Vidyapith is flourishing under the able leadership of Vice-chancellor, Dr. Prithvish Nag.

Objectives

Commitment to democracy, equality of all religions, staunch support to nationalism and to Indian socialism and enrichment of Hindi as a national language has been throughout a tradition of the Vidyapith. As per the declaration contained in the founding resolution of the Vidyapith, the objectives of this national educational institution are to strive to enhance and propagate:

• The development of Indian civilization and culture based on spiritualism.
• Homogeneous intermingling of all the sections of Indian society.
• Coordination among different thoughts and cultures.
• The notion of independence and patriotism along with the feeling of brotherhood and the urge to serve mankind.
• Ancient and modern development in the fields of various disciplines of learning, sculpture, science, technology etc.

Administration

The Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor and the current members of the executive council, the court and the academic council of the university, constitute a body corporate in the name of "Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith Varanasi". The university has a perpetual succession and a common seal and can sue and be sued by its name. The university is open to all persons irrespective of class or creed, but nothing may require the university to admit, to any course of study, a larger number of students than determined by the ordinances. Similarly nothing can prevent the university from meeting special provisions for admission of students belonging to the Scheduled caste or Scheduled Tribes.

The Vice-Chancellor is a whole time salaried officer of the University and is appointed by the Chancellor ( the Governor of U.P.) from amongst the person whose names are submitted to him by a Committee constituted in accordance with the provisions above U.P state Universities Act 1973.[2]

The individual departments are under the direct supervision of their appointed directors, and each sub-department has its head.

Faculties

1. Faculty of Social Work
2. Faculty of Commerce & Management
3. Faculty of Education
4. Faculty of Law
5. Faculty of Science & Technology
6. Faculty of Student Welfare
7. Madan Mohan Malviya Institute of Hindi Journalism
8. Faculty of Humanities
9. Faculty of Social Sciences

Dr. Bhagwandas Central Library

Formerly known as Bhagwandas Swadhyaypith was established in 1921 and later renamed the Dr. Bhagwandas Central Library. He was a renowned philosopher and the first Vice Chancellor of the university. Many stalwarts of the national movement, including Pandit Jawahar lal Nehru, Jamunalal Bajaj, Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Puroshottamdas Tandon, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Sampurnanand, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Pandit Kamalapati Tripathi were closely associated with this library. It has a collection of books in humanities, social sciences, and science, and is developing as a centre of modern learning.

Hostel

1. Dr. Sampurnanand Research Hostel
2. Acharya Narendradev Hostel
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri Hostel
4. J.K. Women's Hostel

Other campuses

• Dr Vibhuti Narayan Singh Rural Medical Institute, Gangapur Campus, Varanasi
• 2nd Campus, N.T.P.C. Shaktinagar, Sonbhadra

See also

• Benaras Hindu University
• Gujarat Vidyapith
• Rajasthan Vidyapeeth
• Sardar Patel University

References

• Kashi Vidyapith
• Varanasi NIC
• India education
• Gandhian centres in India

External links

• Official website