Creating his-story
Parimal Trivedi claims Gandhi conceptualised GU; Gandhians point out the Mahatma was long dead before the varsity was founded
Here is a piece of history that Gujarat University Vice Chancellor Parimal Trivedi wants to create: Mahatma Gandhi founded Gujarat University.
Here is a piece of history that Gujarat University Vice Chancellor Parimal Trivedi wants to create: Mahatma Gandhi founded Gujarat University.
The hitch is that those who know history, trashes his attempt. Mahatma Gandhi did found Gujarat Vidyapith and his forays in formal higher education ended with it. If a Vania’s son could perform a yagna, then he had done so by founding vidyapith (‘univeristy’ in English), Gandhi famously said. And his association with “university” ended there.
However, Trivedi says that Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Kanhaiyalal Munshi, Anandshankar Dhruv, Kasturbhai Lalbhai collectively conceptualised Gujarat University. Trivedi says that he has heard of and read references to Gandhi’s association with the university. “Maybe it was his dream,” the vice chancellor says. Rubbishing his contention, Gandhians at Gujarat Vidyapith point out that Gandhi was long dead before Gujarat University was founded. Also, those associated with GU finds Trivedi’s claim wrong. Former vice chancellor K S Shastri points out that the GU founding committee included Ganesh Shankar Mavlankar, Lalbhai, Amrutlal Hargovind, Sardar Patel and a few other eminent people.
“I have never heard or read anywhere that Gandhiji was associated with the university,” he says. HK Arts College Principal Subhash Brahmbhatt points out that Gandhi died in 1948 whereas GU was founded on November 23, 1949. The royal family of Vadodara wanted Gujarat University to be founded there, but Sardar and Lalbhai brought it to Ahmedabad.
