PM Modi’s school in Vadnagar: The making of a place of importance

As per the school records, Modi had enroled in Class I on June 13, 1956, at the Vadnagar Kumar Shala number 1. Part of an ambitious plan of the Central government’s ‘Prerna Parisar’, the Kumar Shala number 1 was restored last August by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that had been working on the site for almost three years. Around same time, construction of the adjoining new campus had started.

Located in Darbargarh on the highest point of Vadnagar town – around 27 m from above sea level – the school was said to be a ‘Subedar House’ before it was establsihed in 1888 as the vernacular school at a cost of Rs 16,023 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of the erstwhile Baroda state.

“We had wooden-stair seating arrangement in our old school, which I miss here,” said Adi Parmar (12), a Class VIII student Vadnagar Taluka Prathmik Shala number 1 co-ed school, which has come up by merging Kumar shala number 1 and Kanya Shala number 1. He had studied his classes I and II in Kumar Shala number 1.

“Great leaders like Morarji Desai and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, too, have held their election meetings in the historic school,” said Sharad Modi, former principal of Kumar Shala number 1, who is now teaching language in the merged school.

Till 1989, there was only one government primary school each for girls and boys in Vadnagar. Today, there are 12 government primary schools.

Between 1975 and 1985, Kumar shala number 1 and Kanya Shala number 1 were at their peak, having over 500 students each and even two sections of one class, said Bharatbhai Patel, principal of Vadnagar Taluka Prathmik Shala number 1.

The ‘Prerna Parisar’, coming up in an around 2-acre area, once completed, will be a ‘Prerna Inclusive Campus’, where students of Vadnagar Taluka Prathmik Shala number 1 will be integrated.

The Prerna Parisar would comprise the restored Kumar Shala number 1 school building with ground-plus first floor and eight classrooms as well as an entirely new building that coming up adjoining it, to be used as a residential campus with a reception and visitor orientation centre.

However, there exists alumni of Kumar shala number 1, who have studied when there were no mention of Narendra Modi. “He was not even a chief minister at that time. There was only one boys school in the town so everyone would study here,” said Jigneshbhai Parmar (42), who had studied in the school from class I to VII between 1985 and 1992. He has been a maths-science teacher at Vadnagar Taluka Prathmik Shala number 1 for the last 12 years.

As per the proposed plans, the Prerna Parisar has been developed with an objective to inspire India – across 740 districts – from a location that started Modi’s inspirational journey, about the “significance of the location, how this one school produced a man who heads the country today”.

The idea though is claimed to have been mooted by a faculty member of Anant National University, Ahmedabad. “A group of around 50 to 60 students visited the school in 2020. We then prepared an initial proposal to restore the school and turn into an inspirational school with one-week programme for students… we submitted the proposal to the state tourism department,” Jasmine Gohil, associate dean and archietct faculty member at Anant National University, said.

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project got delayed but after working for around nine months on the design concept and idea, the proposal was submitted to the department,” she added.

As per the proposal, the eight classrooms will be developed on different themes – one would include Modi’s life expressed in seven phases to be documented and displayed in seven classrooms.

“Objective to Inspire India, across 740 districts. The journey of inspiration invokes the 3 fundamental sections – Who am I, India and its cultural heritage and what can I do for my country,” stated the proposal.

“While the restored school will have the original appearance, it will be technologically equipped. The new adjoining building will also have a matching facade but will be built by following international standards,” a government official working on the project said.

The plan includes a one-week programme for 30 students from 740 districts of the country. They would include 10 students from 260 CBSE schools across 29 states and 11 UTs and eight students from 50 schools of Vadnagar and Gujarat.

The new building will offer accommodation for faculty members and around 50 students, will have a reception and orientation centre, administration offices, open area earmarked as Gyan Kund, cafeteria and recreation centre.

It will also have an attraction-watchtower – “visualized to become a new landmark for the town of Vadnagar offering 360-degree panoramic views of the town”. With the site located on the highest plateau of the town, the height of the watchtower is estimated to be around 60 m above sea level.

The school is one of the seven sites in Vadnagar where the special episode on the history of Vadnagar will be telecast every Wednesday evening.