The best way to give back to the society is by investing in its future.
Mr Ashish Kantilal Mehta
Kantilal Chhotalal is one of the leading players in diamond and jewellery industry. They are one of the pioneers of this business in India, which dates back to 1941. It is in the business of trading cut and polished diamonds as well as in manufacturing/trading jewellery.
The jeweller caters to diversified customers in the domestic as well as overseas market. Large jewellery retailers, traders and manufacturers are its customers. The firm is present in all major global markets.
CSR Initiatives
Vidyamandir Trust is a well-known education Trust located in Palanpur of Banaskantha district in north Gujarat. It was started in 1948 by Late Shri Kantilal Chhotalal Mehta. The founding fathers of this temple of education were diamantaires hailing from Palanpur, and their main aim was to introduce quality education to the youth of Palanpur and its surrounding areas thus giving an economic impetus to the govt declared backward district of Banaskantha.
Over the years, diamantaire families from Palanpur supported the philanthropic efforts of Late Shri Kantilal Chhotalal Mehta by giving generous financial support and helped in running of the Trust. One of the family that has been closely involved with the Trust since inception is Rosy Blue. Presently Russell Arunbhai Mehta of Rosy Blue is the chairman of the Trust.
Vidyamandir Trust has grown to cater to every segment of the local populace. The Trust runs English and Gujarati medium schools from the kindergarten level to the higher secondary, and from the 1970s runs its own teachers’ training colleges for preprimary, primary and secondary school levels, as well as a special college for teaching the differently abled students.
Running educational institutes for students:
The Trust today runs over 135 educational institutes spread over 14 campuses with a highly experienced and knowledgeable staff of over 250 teachers catering to the requirements of around 5,800 students.
Education programme for rural children:
Another innovation brought about by Vidyamandir is the education programme for children of rural schools that lack basic infrastructure like a library and science lab.
With its mobile lab and library, the Trust ensures that these facilities reach around 5,000 students in 52 schools in an equal number of villages. The promising students from these schools are provided special coaching at classes conducted by Vidyamandir teachers every Sunday at its schools in Palanpur.
of the social mainstream
Institute for differently abled: A special feature of the campus is Mamtamandir, an institute for the differently abled, including visually impaired, hearing impaired, orthopaedically handicapped and mentally challenged. Established in 1963, this institute is the only one of its kind in Gujarat and education is provided absolutely free of cost. Mamtamandir provides vocational training to help the students become self-reliant and be a part of the social mainstream. It was also a pioneer in the concept of integrated education where visually impaired students study alongside normal students in the same classroom. This method, pioneered by Vidyamandir in 1969, was later accepted by educationists all over India.
Introducing new technologies and teaching techniques: Vidyamandir Trust has been at the forefront of change by introducing new technologies and teaching techniques. For example, it first introduced computers to the students in the 1980s and soon after, incorporated it into the regular syllabus.
Encouraging medical careers: About 20 per cent of its students from the higher secondary section opt for medical careers choosing the country’s leading medical colleges, and with many of its alumni building successful careers in different professions. Due to the number of students opting for medicine, Palanpur has become the hub for medical tourism with people from surrounding areas, including the bordering state of Rajasthan, coming here to avail quality medical service.
Other facilities: The Trust has other facilities like state-of-the-art English language lab, separate labs of physics, chemistry and biology, a library with more than 30,000 books, a 600-seater air-conditioned auditorium and a beautifully landscaped garden spread over 12 acres.
Emphasis on extracurricular activities: Besides the regular curriculum, all the institutes of the Trust lay great stress on extracurricular activities. The students are encouraged to participate in sports, drawing and essay competitions, and many of them have won laurels at the district and state levels in many such fields.
Promoting art and culture: In the field of performing arts, the Trust runs Kalayatan, where students are trained in song, dance, music and drama. The students get an opportunity to perform at functions held by the Trust and also at competitions organized by government and private cultural organizations.
Providing sports training: The sports academy of the Trust offers training under expert coaches in 15 different disciplines and many of the students are selected to represent the district/state in national and state level competitions.
