Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School or MGD is located in

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and was established by and named after Rajmata

Gayatri Devi Gayatri Devi (born Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar; 23 May 1919 − 29 July 2009) was the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Following her husband's signature for the ...

of Jaipur. It was the first all-girls school to be established in the state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

History

The school was founded on 12 August 1943. In the summer of 1940, the Maharaja of Jaipur Sawai Man Singh Bahadur brought home Princess Gayatri Devi, of Cooch Behar, as his bride. She was the daughter of the Maharaja and Maharani Indira Deviji, of

Cooch Behar Cooch Behar (), also known as Koch Bihar, is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal and it stands on bank of the Torsa river. The city is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. During the British Raj, Cooch Behar was the seat of the ...

. Her concern for the education of the local court women led her and Bahadur to found the school. Bahadur ordered the Prime Minister Sir Mirza Ismail, and the Education and Finance Minister, Rao Bahadur Amarnath Atal, to allot land and plan the school. It started with 24 girls and Lilian G. Lutter as Principal on the lines of the British public school pattern. MGD was the first girls' public school to be accepted as a member of the Public School Council of India' Conference (IPSC). In 1950, MGD became a center for the Cambridge Examination for Jaipur. In 1962 the school shifted to the Indian School Certificate Board. The school follows the Central Board for Secondary Education CBSE curriculum. The founder principal of the school was Ms. L.G. Lutter. The principal of the school is Mrs. Archana S. Mankotia. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003 with a ceremony for the founder Rajmata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur., Shiv Kumari of Kotah is vice president of the school.

School campus

The school is situated on the Sawai Man Singh Road, in the heart of the city and sprawls over . Today it has over 3000 students from all parts of India of which 400 are resident on campus, studying from Classes I to XII. The campus consists of buildings, gardens, lawns, sports fields, tennis courts, a stadium cum auditorium and a swimming pool. There are six boarding houses, each for age groups - Lillian Hurst, Ashiyana, Deepshikha, Maharani Indira Devi Bhawan, Rani Vidya Devi Bhawan, and the teacher's residence - Nivedita House.

Boarding and hostel life

The students are divided in six hostels according to the house they are in. *Standard 1 to 5 are housed in Lilian Hurst named after the founder principal, Ms. LG Lutter. *Standard 6 and 7 are in Deepshikha hostel. *Madame Curie house girls are in Ashiana hostel. *Florence Nightingale house girls in Vidya Devi Bhawan hostel ground floor. *Helen Keller house girls in Vidya Devi Bhawan hostel first floor. *Sarojini Naidu house girls in Maharani Indira Devi Bhawan hostel. *Separate building will be provided for residential teachers in Nivedita.

Houses

The students are divided into four houses named after notable women achievers: Madame Curie: red,

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...

: blue,

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

: green,

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (Birth name, née Chattopadhyay) (; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist and poet who served as the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of United Provinces, after Independence Day (India), Indi ...

: orange. Inter-house competitions range from cultural, art and craft activities to music and dance as well as debates and quizzes. In sport, the students participate in inter-house and inter-school sports competitions and represent the city and state at national and international levels.

Sports and extra-curricular activities

MGDians participate in inter-house sports championships such as athletics, basketball, volleyball, swimming, running, badminton, tennis, Hockey competition etc. The girls engage in 13 sports. A sports day with a marching parade and school band is organised annually. MGD hosts the annual IPSC Sports Meet and other inter-school sports competitions.

Notable alumnae

* Pamella Bordes – photographer and former Miss India * Sandhya Mridul – actress * Sminu Jindal - entrepreneur * Krishnendra Kaur (Deepa) – former member of Lok Sabha *

Meira Kumar Meira Kumar (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the Indian National Congress, she was the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009, the Minister of Water Resources for a brief peri ...

–

Speaker of the Lok Sabha The Speaker of the Lok Sabha ( IAST: ) is the presiding officer and the highest authority of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The speaker is elected generally in the first meeting of the Lok Sabha following a general ...

and presidential candidate for the Union of India from Indian National Congress, 2017 *

Apurvi Chandela Apurvi Singh Chandela (born 4 January 1993) is an Indian Shooting player who competes in the 10 metre air rifle event. She won the gold medal in the 2019 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi. She is a recipient of Arjuna award. Early life and backgrou ...

– international shooter *

Diya Kumari Diya Kumari (born 30 January 1971) is an Indian politician from Bharatiya Janata Party currently serving as the 5th Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan alongside Prem Chand Bairwa in the ministry of Bhajan Lal Sharma. She currently represents ...

– Member of erstwhile royal family of Jaipur and Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan

References

{{Member Schools of Round Square Private schools in Rajasthan Boarding schools in Rajasthan Girls' schools in Rajasthan Educational institutions established in 1943 1943 establishments in India Schools in Jaipur