The Gandhigram Rural University (GRI) is a centrally-funded Deemed University based on

Dindigul Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

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 ...

History

Dr. T.S. Soundaram and Dr. G. Ramachandran developed the institute. The Gandhigram

Rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

Institute of Higher Education was founded in 1956 to carry on

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- ...

’s ‘

Nai Talim Nai Talim, or Basic Education, is a principle which states that knowledge and work are not separate. Mahatma Gandhi promoted an educational curriculum with the same name based on this pedagogical principle. It can be translated with the phrase ...

’ system of education. In 1976 it was declared as Deemed University, by University Grants Commission (UGC),

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 House ...

, Under Section 3 of UGC Act 1956. It is fully funded by UGC. In 2006 it was renamed Gandhigram Rural Institute as per the guidelines of UGC. With devotion to Mahatma Gandhi's revolutionary concept of ‘

’ system of education, Gandhigram Rural Institute has developed academic programmes in Rural Development, Rural Economics and Extension Education, Rural Oriented Sciences, Cooperation, Development Administration, Rural Sociology, English and Foreign Languages, and,

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

and Indian Languages. The institute has developed into a major educational complex, comprising seven faculties, offering in 50 programmes. It awards

Doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

and

Bachelor’s degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...

s, diplomas, and certificates through its seven academic faculties: Rural Development, Rural Social Sciences, Rural Oriented Sciences, English and Foreign Languages, Tamil, Indian Languages and Rural Arts, Rural Health and Sanitation, and, Agriculture and

Animal Husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

. It has 3000 students and 150 teaching and 250 non-teaching staff. The institute was accredited with Five Star status by NAAC, in February 2002. It was re-accredited with A grade in 2010. Recently, It named as Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University)

Campus

The Gandhigram Rural Institute has a campus of nearly in a rural setting, nestling in one of the enclaves of the beautiful Sirumalai range. To its west are chains of mountains including the Kodaikanal Hill Station. Lying north of Madurai, Gandhigram is easily accessible by rail and road. The climate is hot throughout the year.

Notable alumni

K. R. Meera K. R. Meera (born 19 February 1970) is an Indian author and journalist, who writes in Malayalam. She was born in Sasthamkotta, Kollam district in Kerala. She worked as a journalist in ''Malayala Manorama'' but later resigned to concentrate mor ...

, Indian Writer *

Raghavan (actor) Raghavan (born 12 December 1941) is an Indian actor who has acted in Malayalam more than 100 films including Telugu and Kannada films. Malayalam actor Jishnu was his son. From early 2000s he is more active on Malayalam and Tamil television ser ...

, Malayalam film industry

Transport

The nearest railway station is Ambathurai, the nearest major railway junction is

and the nearest major city is

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

. The nearest airport is

Madurai Airport Madurai Airport is a customs airport serving Madurai and its adjoining districts in Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 36th busiest airport in India, both in terms of passengers handled and aircraft movement. The airport is located near State Highwa ...

Rankings

Gandhigram Rural Institute was ranked 91 0 among universities in India by the

National Institutional Ranking Framework The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Education (India), Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The Framework was approved by the ...

(NIRF) in 2021 and in the 101–150 band overall.

Former Chancellors

P. B. Gajendragadkar Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar (16 March 1901 – 12 June 1981) originally from Gajendra-Gad, a historic fort and town in southern India was the 7th Chief Justice of India, serving from February 1964 to March 1966. Career Prahlad Bal ...

, seventh Chief Justice of India *

T. S. Soundram T. S. Soundaram Ramachandran (18 August 1904 – 21 October 1984) was an Indian physician, social reformer and politician was the daughter of T. V. Sundaram Iyengar, the founder of T V Sundaram Iyengar and Sons Limited, popularly known as ...

, Indian physician and politician *

R. Venkatraman Ramaswamy Venkataraman (, 4 December 191027 January 2009) was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union Minister and as the eighth Vice President of India, president of India. Venkataraman was born in ...

, eighth President of India *

Shankar Dayal Sharma Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997. Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...

, eighth Vice President of India *

K.R. Narayanan Kocheril Raman Narayanan (27 October 1921 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the 9th Vice President of India from 1992 to 1997 and 10th President of India from 1997 to 2002 . Born i ...

, tenth President of India *

Krishan Kant Krishan Kant (28 February 1927 – 27 July 2002) was an Indian politician who served as the tenth vice president of India from 1997 until his death 2002. Formerly, he was the governor of Andhra Pradesh from 1990 to 1997. He was a member of Lok ...

, tenth Vice President of India *

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (23 October 1923 – 15 May 2010) was the 11th vice president of India. He served in that position from August 2002, when he was elected to a five-year term by the electoral college following the death of Krishan Kant ...

, eleventh Vice President of India *

Mohammad Hamid Ansari Mohammad Hamid Ansari (; born 1 April 1937) is an Indian politician and retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who was the 12th vice president of India from 2007 to 2017. Ansari joined the IFS in 1961. In a diplomatic career spanning 3 ...

, twelfth Vice President of India *

Renana Jhabvala Renana Jhabvala is an Indian social worker based in Ahmedabad, India, who has been active for decades in organising women into organisations and trade unions in India, and has been extensively involved in policy issues relating to poor women a ...

, social worker in India

Former Vice Chancellors

G. Ramachandran G. Ramachandran (known by Friends and Family as "Rama") is a former president of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI). He was the President during the years 1966–1968, 1973–1974, 1982–1984, 1985–1986, and was its ...

, social reformer * M. Aram, educator and peace activist * Devendra Kumar * D. K. Oza * T. R. Natesan * N. Markandan * G. Pankajam * T. Karunakaran * Sm. Ramasamy

References

External links

* {{Coord, 10.27958, 77.933412, display=title Gandhigram Rural Institute Education in Dindigul district Educational institutions established in 1956 1956 establishments in Madras State