Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an Indian educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by Dr K.M Munshi, with the support of

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 trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, 7 centres abroad and 367 constituent institutions, cover "all aspects of life from the cradle to the grave and beyond – it fills a growing vacuum in modern life", as Pandit

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

observed when he first visited the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 1950.

Organisation

The trust operates a number of primary and secondary institutes in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and abroad. It organizes and runs 100 private schools in India. The schools are known as Bharatiya Vidya Mandir, Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, or Bhavan's Vidyalaya. The Bhavan significantly grew as a cultural organization and became a global foundation under the leadership of

Sundaram Ramakrishnan Sundaram Ramakrishnan was an Indian space scientist and a former director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, who is known to have contributed to the development of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). He has served the Indian Space Research Orga ...

who took over as the director after the death of Munshi in 1971. The first foreign centre was opened in London in 1972.

Constitution

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

is "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side", a quote from the

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...

. The

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

of the Bhavan lays down the qualities that everyone connected with the Bhavan should develop for the Bhavan's consolidation and sustained growth. They are: * An understanding of the aims of the Bhavan and a sense of identification with them, expressed in continuous efforts to realise them in every field of activity. * A spirit of dedication to the Bhavan which will prompt everyone to ask, not "what can I get from the Bhavan?" but "what can I do for the Bhavan?" * A faith in the culture of our land, particularly in the Epics and in the teachings of the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

. * The habit of daily prayer, in private and in congregation and the practice of invoking the grace of God before any work is begun and to so do it that it is fit to be offered to Him. * A passion for the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

language, to study it oneself and to popularize it among others. * The development of a healthy mind that is neither

petrified In geology, petrifaction or petrification () is the process by which organic material becomes a fossil through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with minerals. Petrified wood typifies this proce ...

by custom nor capering at the call of every fancy, but which is rooted in the past, draws sustenance from the ennobling elements in the present and strives for a more radiant future.

Board members

The current President of the Bhavan is Surendralal Mehta, and the Vice-President is Bellur Srikrishna. Some of the honorary members on the Board (past and present) include the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

, King Charles,

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

JRD Tata Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (29 July 1904 – 29 November 1993) was a French-Indian aviator, industrialist, entrepreneur and chairman of Tata Group. Born into the Tata family of India, he was the son of noted businessman Ratanji Dadabhoy ...

and

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...

, among others.

References

External links

*
Amrita Bharati website

PM Manmohan Singh's remarks on visit to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 2006

Bill Gates makes personal donation to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's computer initiative

* ttp://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/detail/234291 Visit London: The Bhavan Centre – Institute Of Indian Arts and Culture
BVBPS BHEL Ramachandrapuram's Official Website

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Book University
{{Authority control Educational organisations based in India Private schools in Kochi Private schools in Thiruvananthapuram Recipients of the Gandhi Peace Prize Universities and colleges affiliated with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Sanskrit revival 1938 establishments in India

Organisation

Constitution

Board members

See also

References

External links