Vidyamandir Trust, one of the major educational institutions in Palanpur and North Gujarat providing quality education to students from varied backgrounds, is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee during 2011-12 starting from August 16, 2011 and culminating on August 15, 2012.

The highlight of the year-long celebrations will be a two-day mega-event scheduled on January 14-15, 2012 at Vidyamandir Campus, Palanpur, during which the blessing ceremony and inauguration of a number of new institutes and projects aimed at broadening and deepening the activities of the Trust in the educational sphere, will be held. (see complete list below).

Such generous support from the community has been one of the important factors behind the stupendous growth of the Trust during the last six decades. It has regularly received donations from Palanpuri Jains, many of them now expatriates. This has taken the form of valuable properties, sponsorships, etc so New Institutions, Schools, Training Colleges, Special Education Schools came up year after year.

The present day Vidyamandir Trust was started in 1948 as Shri Palanpur Shishushala, Balmandir and Education Trust with the aim of providing quality education to the people of Palanpur by Late Mr. Kantilal Chhotalal Mehta popularly known as Kanubhai with generous support from the community.

On 16th August 1951, the Trust took over the management of Shree Jain Shishushala, a Primary School meant for Jain children established by Late Shri Surajmal Lallubhai Mehta in 1921. This school was run on the first floor of Sthanakvasi Lukagachchha Jain library.

The founders of the Trust believed that education was more than just imparting academic knowledge. It was a process of development of character, mental abilities and all round personality of every child. Their vision and mission was to start ‘a school with a difference’… not just another school!

In the early 1960s, Kanubhai appointed Mr. Suryakant C. Parikh, an established educationist from Pune as the Principal of Vidyamandir. Suryakantbhai ushered in many innovative changes in Vidyamandir, which enhanced the standard of education in Palanpur. His experiment of combining modern and traditional systems of education in a very innovative way, made Vidyamandir in Palanpur famous as a modern educational complex.

The Trust was rechristened with its present name in 2006.  Today it runs over 100 institutions spread over 14 campuses, with a highly experienced and knowledgeable staff of over 300 teachers catering to over 5,000 students.

Vidyamandir today is known as an institution that provides a value-based, child-centered, creative nurturing and challenging environment for students, so that they can maximize their innate potential. It tries to implement the concept of ‘Think Global and Act Local’, learning from international developments while retaining Indian cultural values. The goal is to be a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in the field of education and hence the motto… “Better Everyday”.
 
The success in implementing this vision can be seen from the fact that the Trust has among its alumni senior management personnel in giant public or private corporations, business leaders and philanthropists who have blazed new trails, those who have excelled in academics or research and achievers in many other fields. Students from the Trust’s school are district and state toppers at SSC and HSC levels and many have gone on to acquire professional degrees. Thanks to the large number of medical graduates among Vidyamandir’s alumni, Palanpur is today an important centre for medical services in the region.

An Alumni Meet, with a grand reunion of its past students, will also be held on January 15, 2012.

The Vidyamandir Trust, Palanpur has invited all its Donors, well-wishers and Alumni to join in the celebrations January 14-15, 2012.

New projects of Vidyamandir Trust to be opened on Jan 14-15, 2012
1. Shri Malukchand Badarmal Parikh School Building
Donor: Malukchand Badarmal Parikh Jain Sanitorium Trust

2. Kalyan Balmandir Campus with Building
Donor: Mahila Mandal Palanpur

3. Shri Bagmal Laxmichand Parikh Central Library
Donor: M/s. Mahendra Bros.

4. Shri Vrajlal C. Mehta School of Information Technology
Donor: Family Vrajlal C. Mehta and Arun R. Mehta

5. Shashivan
Donor: Family Shashiben Kanubhai Mehta

6. Matushree Maniben Chandulal Maganbhai Kothari Central Office
Donor: Kantilal C. Kothari, Hong Kong

7. Shri Pravinchandra Khemchandbhai Mehta College of Special Education
Donor: Sanyuktaben P. Mehta and family

8. Smt. Sushilaben D. Parikh Museum & Art Gallery
Donor: Meena & Ashwin P. Kothari

9. Shri Miten Vijay Mehta Centre for Professional Courses
Donor: Vijay Kirtilal Mehta family

10. Shri Hathibhai Vahlubhai Mehta English Medium College of Early Childhood Education
Donor: Hathi Mehta Dharamshala Trust

11. Shri K. D. Parikh Vigyan Bhavan
Donor: Shri Kirtilal D. Parikh Charitable Trust

12. Playgrounds at A. D. Lohani Campus & Renovation & Lighting at Vyayamshala
Donor: Family Kantilal Chhotalal Mehta and Tarachand Chandulal Mehta

13. Smt. M. M. Mehta English Medium Higher Secondary School ‐ General Stream
Donor: Shri Prabodh Kirtilal Mehta

14. Jormalbhai N. Choudhary Computer Centre at Vinaymandir
Donor: Family Jormalbhai N. Choudhary

15. Donation towards renovation of Tower Building
Donor: Chandraben Piyush Kothari

16. Smt. Motiben Chunilal Choksi (Family) Athletics Sports Centre for the Disabled
Donor: Shri Shrenik C. Choksi

17. Shri Chunilal Mangalji Choksi Hall at EMS Building
Donor: Shri Shrenik C. Choksi

18. Smt. Babiben Chunilal Nagardas Adani (Tharad) Hall
Donor: Lalit Adani

19. Shri Motilal Dharamchand Kothari Computer Centre for Hearing & Speech Impaired
Donor: Devoobhai M. Kothari

20. Shri Dalpatbhai K. Parikh Computer Centre for Visually Impaired
Donor: Meena & Ashwin P. Kothari

21. Smt. Pushpavati Kanaiyalal Kalidas Shah Computer Laboratory
Donor: Mukesh K. Shah (Jasani)

22. Bus for Handicapped Students
Donor: G Parivar, Blue Star

23. Share & Care and Asha‐Vijay Foundation "Knowledge Yaan" Project
Donor: Share & Care Foundation, USA and Asha Vijay Foundation