Pune, Nov 26: With the motto to educate the poor and the destitute children, Anath Vidyarthi Gruha (now known as Pune Vidyarthi Gruha) was established on May 12, 1909 with 10 students in the first batch.
It will be a fitting tribute to the institute when President Pratibha Patil will grace the occasion to mark completion of100 years on Thursday. Besides aid from the founders, contributions by way of land or money have also come from several other sources, as it was not easy to raise an institute to educate and provide boarding to economically backward class students.
The institute was moved to its present Sadashiv Peth campus in 1920. With the efforts of visionaries like KR and Seetaram Godbole, Annasaheb Gadre, Balukaka Kanitkar, Tatyasaheb Patwardhan and Dadasaheb Ketkar, the institute still stands tall.
The institute has branches iin three districts — Nashik, Mumbai and Pune. The school at Talegaon Anjineri in Nashik is for tribal children.
According to the chairman of PVG RP Joshi, the institute has started 14 new courses in centenary year, including management and engineering courses. “Now we have plans for a big campus on a 35-acre land at Chandegaon in Ahmednagar district where we will start a public school and job-oriented courses for the poor children, besides hostels.
In Bhoke village in Ratnagiri district we have planned a fruit research centre and a high school,” he said.
–Agencies