Three way Confluence

While helping her mother out at a tea shop, Maneesha would always wonder, if she would ever pass her Tenth grade exams. She was a little weak in Math and Science subjects. Her cab-driver father’s addiction to alcohol, meant that he was never around to help her with her studies. However fast forward a few years, Maneesha is now a well-educated, successful fashion designer. And what happened to the tea stall? Well, her dad, who is now completely addiction free, is running it successfully.

Chetan Rawal also had a similar life-story. Chetan was the only kid of Mansukh Rawal, who used to play Dhol (barrel drums) for a wedding band. He was a bright student, but had no money to pay for his school as his dad would waste most of his salary on alcohol. Today, Chetan is a famous physiotherapist in Mani Nagar.

When Saleem didn’t show up for the Coaching Class for three consecutive days, his Shikshak (RSS Mentor) decided to visit him at his place in the slums in Millat Nagar. It turns out to be that Saleem was sick with Typhoid. The teacher decided to cover all the medical expenses to help him recover. Saleem now works in a mill and lives happily with his family. Apart from the god, this young Muslim guy only bows down to RSS volunteers and his Shikshak, Mr. Kanubhai.

A common thread in all these three success stories shared above is Guruji Gyan Mandir. An institution, which conducts its sessions in Mani Nagar public school’s campus, every evening from 5 to 8 PM. It brings a ray of hope in the lives of poor young kids suffering due to lack of education and poverty, guiding them on the path of financial independence through education, culture and personality development. RSS volunteer Kanubhai Rathod and Madhubhai Barot, the current regional head, started this institute about fourteen years back. All of the teachers, associated with this institution, work there on honorary basis, there by providing a free service to the students. All the expenses are covered through the donations of the institute's well-wishers.

A few years back, Kanubhai used to run a program where he would visit a slum in the region and distribute Model Magazine, a book explaining simple science and math’s concepts, to the kids living there. That is when he realized that those kids couldn’t even read. The poor schooling system in the area meant that it was challenging for the kids to even pass the Tenth grade board exams. To improve this horrible situation among kids, he opened up Shree Guruji Gyan  mandir in a small room in one of the RSS volunteer’s house. Along with education, the institute also focused on student’s cultural and social mannerism. A longtime volunteer in this institute, and the president’s awards winner teacher, Shree Jayesh Thakkar quotes, “We connect the students here with many different initiatives. The festivals like Gurupournima, Rakshabandhan, Janmashtami, Navratri are celebrated in a traditional way with the students. A variety of cultural activities such as essay competitions, debates, patriotic singing competitions, storytelling competitions are organized frequently in the institute. Students are also encouraged to participate in some other events such as visits to the historic sites & the state assembly, volunteering sessions at the local hospitals etc., which helps with their overall personality development. Career guidance sessions are also conducted periodically. Parent teacher meets are organized often, whereas some teachers also personally visit students and their families.”

In the beginning, the classes were offered only for the tenth grade students but with the passage of time, they were expanded for Ninth to Twelfth grade students. Over hundred students travel regularly from nearby towns like Khokhra, Ghodasar Vatva, Behrampur to attend the sessions. A few of them ride over ten kilometres on their bicycles every day. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Guruji Gyan Mandir is a three way confluence of education, personality development, and career planning. 

Contact : Kanubhai Guruji Mandir 

Mobile No. : 91-98794 71330