One of the greatest sons of India Late Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inspired Shri Bhaikaka and Shri Bhikabhai Saheb for rural resurgence of post-independent India through education, and Charutar Vidya Mandal was born. Charutar Vidya Mandal was established in the year 1945 as a charitable trust with a prime objective of rural development through education to bring about the social awakening, social upliftment and enrichment. The uniqueness of Charutar Vidya Mandal lies in its ability to use quality education as a powerful means of social transformation.
It was a stupendous task for the founders to establish a visionary organization; but the large-heartedness and high sense of philanthropy of this region made this possible.Over the subsequent years, Late Dr. H M Patel consolidated the efforts put in by the founders. Later on, in the 1990s, when Late Dr. C L Patel took over the reigns of Charutar Vidya Mandal as the Chairman, the country was facing a major economic and ideological change paving the way for globalization and liberalization.
This generated two major challenges before the sector of education - (a) Withdrawal of monetary support by the government to educational institutions, and (b) Need for new programs and courses to meet with the emerging demands arising out of a globalized and liberalized world in science and technology and in business.
The dynamic leadership, missionary zeal and visionary outlook of Late Dr. C L Patel successfully took up the challenges. Various self-financed educational institutions started being established in the areas of Technology, Science and Engineering, Commerce and Management, offering emerging and innovative courses and programs such as Mechatronics, Automobile Engineering, Bio-technology, Food Processing Technology, E-Commerce, Valuation, etc. Today the investment of Charutar Vidya Mandal stands at more than US$ 30 million, and a new self- contained Satellite Township called New Vallabh Vidyanagar sprawled over 100 acres has already received an investment of around US$ 20 million.
Late Dr. C L Patel's unique leadership style attracts many philanthropists to contribute to the development of Charutar Vidya Mandal. Today Charutar Vidya Mandal is empowering budding graduates to live up to the ever-changing environment and equipping them to face the Third Millennium with confidence and competence. Building competitive advantages is the renewed focus of Charutar Vidya Mandal in the 21st century. At present, Charutar Vidya Mandal operates 48 Educational Institutions from schools to colleges and a sophisticated Research Institute, with over 30,000 students on the rolls.
