BRIEF HISTORY OF NANDURBAR TALUKA VIDHAYAK SAMITI

Nandurbar, one of the tribal districts of Maharashtra, is situated on the triangular confluence of the three states viz Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Majority of its population live among the remote and isolated hills and    ranges of the Satpuras. The overall history of the district shows that poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, superstitions, blind practices and outdated faiths have proved to be the major hindrances on keeping the tribal and rural communities away from the main stream of life.

After taking all these ill circumstances into consideration, many social workers and institutions realized that illiteracy is the root cause of all the social, educational and economic problems of the district. They found education as the basic need and the source for the overall upliftment of the people of the district. As a result, after independence, several educational institutions had been established at different corners of the district. One of these institutions was Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti. The Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti was established by Late Shri Gajamal Tulshiram Patil, the founder chairman and former MLA, Late Shri G.S.Marathe and Shri B.K.Raghuwanshi, the present chairman and former MLC in the year 1961. In the very same year i.e.1961, the Samiti started its first residential boarding school with only 10 tribal students in the name of the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Late. Shri.Yashwantrao Chavan. Subsequently in the next year the samiti was able to start Yashwant High School. As the population of Nandurbar town kept on increasing, the number of students also started rising in the school. As per the need of the student and the society, Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti started first senior college in the town with faculties of Arts and Commerce in the year 1964. In the same college science faculty was opened in 1969. In 1974 this college was named as Gajamal Tulshiram Patil College Nandurbar. Gajamal Tulshiram Patil was a social reformer and great politician.

In the year 1976 the Gajamal Tulshiram Patil College hosted “Youth Festival” sponsored by Pune University successfully. Thousand students from several colleges of the University participated in the festival. It was done with a great enthusiasm and received great response even without having any services and the infrastructure that the urban world enjoys.

Since then the samiti has been successfully and endlessly trying its best in empowering the tribal and rural students. With the tool of education and technology these students are learning to explore new sources of livelihood, making them competent to meet the challenges at the national and international levels and above all, shaping them as a worthy citizen to build a New India.

Today Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti has flourished into a giant educational institution providing updated educational and vocational facilities at all the levels of education. At present it is running 65 educational branches, mostly in rural and tribal areas, imparting education to more than 20,000 students per year from K.G. to P.G. and even at the research level. The very motto of the institution is to bring the rural and tribal families to the main flow of development and to enlighten the new hopes and aspirations of living. Quite contrary to the trend of commercialisation of education and starting profit making institutes like medical and engineering colleges, Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti kept its commitment to address the basic need of elementary education.

The institute has currently 8 secondary residential schools and 9 primary residential schools where in the tribal students get, along with education, facilities like, lodging, food, clothes and books.  The institute also runs 4 primaries, 18 secondary and 7 higher secondary school, bearing the major burden of providing the formal education to the tribal. Keeping in mind the crave for higher education among the tribal’s the samiti established 6 senior colleges. More than 70% students enjoying the facilities provided by these institutes are tribal. The details of the branches of the Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti and the beneficiaries are as follows.

Branches of Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti

The College of Law (the only in the district) has also proved to be one of the greatest achievements of our Institution. It is playing a vital role in creating the legal awareness among the tribals and non-tribals. The college has been also offering free legal services to the poor and needy through its Free Legal Aid Service Cell. Considering the importance of computer education, the institution has made computer facility in all the branches of the institution. Apart from the regular academic services, the Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti has arranged several social campaigns and activities like pulse-polio immunization, aids awareness, eradication of superstition, tree-plantation programmes, water resources programmes and prevention of addictions like tobacco, smoking alcoholic drinks, voting right awareness, free medical aid camp etc.

Recognising our role in imparting education and creating social awareness among the tribal and the downtrodden people, the Government of Maharashtra has honoured our Institution with “Adivasi Sevak Sanstha Award”. Our premier senior college, Gajamal Tulshiram Patil College has received “The Best College Award” from the North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon in 2005. Some of our teaching and non teaching members have also received ‘the Best Teacher Awards’ and the Best Employee and the State Ideal Teacher Awards from national and international organizations.

All of our senior colleges have been accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council of University Grants Commission. Alumni of our Institution are rendering valuable services in India and abroad in several reputed institutions. Some of the faculty members of our Institution have also visited various international research laboratories and training centers for research work.

Your Excellency Smt.Pratibhatai Patil had visited our Institution in 1974 as a Minister in the then Government of Maharashtra and Late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi had also inaugurated the Library Building of Gajamal Tulshiram Patil College in 1980. Besides the above visits our campus was also utilized for the big rallies and national level ceremonies of political leaders like Late Prime Minister Shri.Rajiv Gandhi and Congress President Smt.Sonia Gandhi.

Our Institution has always contributed to the Tsunami and Earthquake Relief Funds from time to time. It has built one school building in the earthquake affected area of Gujarat.

It is really a matter of pride, honour and pleasure for us while celebrating and inaugurating the Golden Jubilee Ceremony of Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti with the auspious hands of Your Excellency, Smt.Patibhatai Patil, the President of India. It is the most honourable feather for Nandurbar Taluka Vidhayak Samiti.