Mahatma Gandhi Museum was formerly Alfred High School (also known as ''Mohandas Gandhi High School'' or ''Kathiawar High School'') in

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the ...

was one of the oldest educational institutions in India which was active for 164 years where

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

studied few years.

History of school

This school was constructed during

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

in India by political agent Kernel Singh, and was the first English school in the

saurashtra (region) Kathiawar (), also known as Saurashtra, is a peninsula in the south-western Gujarat state in India, bordering the Arabian Sea and covering about . It is bounded by the Kutch district in the north, the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest, and by t ...

. Originally called ''Rajkot English School'', it was founded on 17 October 1853, and later became a full-fledged high school. By 1868 it came to be known as ''Rajkot High School'', and was named Alfred High School in 1907. The present buildings of the Alfred High School were built for

Kathiawar Kathiawar (), also known as Saurashtra, is a peninsula in the south-western Gujarat state in India, bordering the Arabian Sea and covering about . It is bounded by the Kutch district in the north, the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest, and by the ...

by the Nawab of Junagadh, Nawab Nawab Sir Muhammad Bahadur Khanji Babi, and was named Prince Alfred, the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

, as a memorial. This school was opened in January, 1875 by Sir Philip Wodehouse,

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

. Following

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement t ...

in 1947, the school was renamed the "Mohandas Gandhi High School" in honour of Gandhi.

Mohandas Gandhi

graduated from Rajkot High School in 1887 at age 18. Accounts vary on Gandhi's time at the school. Several accounts suggest he was a quiet and academically unremarkable student who did not participate in sports or extracurricular activities. Gandhi said of his schooling, "I had not any high regard for my ability. I was to be astonished whenever I won prizes and scholarships". However, Rajmohan Gandhi suggests that this view comes from a misreading of his "self-deprecating" autobiography. Out of 38 students who had passed the high school entrance examination, Gandhi was one of only two students in his year to matriculate. Following graduation Gandhi enrolled at the Samaldas College in

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city and the headquarters of Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Gohil. It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Dominion ...

, where he stayed for one term before travelling to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Museum

History

In 2017, the school was closed and announced that it will be converted into museum. Due to the less student count around 100 where hardly one third attended the school regularly (out of 100). Subsequently the Rajkot municipal corporation decided to close down the school and convert it into a museum so the youngsters can learn about the events that shaped Gandhi's life and shaped India's freedom struggle. The project was finished at the approx cost of ₹26 crores (₹260 millions). On 30 September 2018, then Hon. Prime Minister of India Shree

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

along with Chief Minister of Gujarat Shree Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Shree Nitin Patel inaugurated the museum as celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Gandhiji. The museum is operated jointly by Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) and Gujarat Tourism.

Features

The museum has repurposed school rooms into galleries totaling at 39. Visitor navigate sequentially through each gallery where dedicated narrator guides and depicts briefly. Ground floor has 18 & top floor consists of 21 such galleries. Galleries are equipped with modern technology including air-conditioned rooms, sensor-aware models, projectors with audio speakers, touch screen kiosks with headphones, 3D models and different lighting. Light and sound show is regular occurrence after sunset, making it more attractive to children. Along with galleries museum also has following amenities: * Museum guide * Ticket counter & Cloakroom * Helpdesk * Library * Children Area * ATM * Parking * Toilet * Garden * Food Court

References