Jagdish Gandhi - Founders

Founders

The husband and wife team of Jagdish Gandhi (b. 10 November 1936) and Bharti Gandhi founded the City Montessori School. Born in a poor family in the Barsauli Village in district Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Influenced greatly by Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave and others, a young and idealistic Jagdish Gandhi ventured in 1959 to create a new mindset through education. With five children on roll, no personal wealth, and the equivalent of Rupees 300/- (US $10) in borrowed capital, Gandhi began his own personal experiment in Lucknow, India, some fifty one years ago in the name of City Montessori School.

In 1959 Bharti Gandhi along with Jagdish Gandhi laid the foundation of Sarvodaya Seva Sansthan, which is a registered body and under the aegis of which all their activities - social, educational and cultural are carried on. Mrs. Gandhi worked as a Psychologist in the U.P. Government Psychology Centre at Lucknow in the years 1957-59. She worked as a lecturer in the Khun Khun Ji Girls Degree College, Lucknow in 1960-61, and was the Principal of Adarsh Shiksha Kendra Inter College, Lucknow in 1961-62.

In 1962 Mrs. Gandhi convened an All India Anti Dowry Conference. She also led a band of selfless women workers to picket liquor shops and explained to alcoholics the evils of drinking. She convened the U.P. Stage Prohibition Conference, the first of its kind in September 1965, which was inaugurated by Shri Morarji Desai. Her devotion to the cause of women's welfare is truly great. In 1965 Mrs. Gandhi organized a Women Workers Conference at Anand Bhawan in Allahabad. This Conference was addressed by Saint Vinoba Bhave. Other issues which are of great interest to Mrs. Gandhi are adult education and national integration. She convened Children and Youth Festivals and Conferences to promote national integration.