Suryakantbhai Parikh (centre)
with Praful Patel and Ashish Mehta

Over 22,000 current as well as former students and their families attended the Vidyamandir Parivar Mahasammelan held at the King George V Club in Palanpur on January 15 on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Vidyamandir Trust.

The proramme was addressed by Praful Patel, Union Minister and Suryakantbhai Parikh, former Director and Mentor of Vidyamandir and others.

Vasantbhai Parikh, Joint Managing Trustee and Pranav Mistry, inventor of the Sixth Sense, both alumni of Vidyamandir, spoke briefly about the memories they treasure of their days in the institution, while Hasmukh Modi, Acting Director, Vidyamandir Trust welcomed the gathering.

Praful Patel addressess the alumni

After the speeches, over 22,000 people had lunch and each batch had its individual reunion where they shared memories of the past and reconnected with classmates who were now spread across to different parts of the country and the world.

An exhibition at the venue highlighted the varied activities of Vidyamandir Trust, from kindergarten schools to Teacher’s Training colleges and a number of other activity centres, special institutions and community initiatives. All those who attended were given a memento which included a special issue of Nishtha, the Trust’s quarterly magazine, and a DVD containing documentary films about Palanpur and Vidyamandir.

A view of the gathering

Later in the evening, a professional drama troupe staged ‘Heera na Vavetaar’, a play depicting Vidyamandir’s journey of 60 years at the same venue. The hour-long performance with many songs and presentations and was greatly appreciated by the large audience.