Banasthali Vidyapeeth

 I am on 20th December, 2017, at Banasthali Vidyapeeth, about 72 kilometers from Jaipur in Rajasthan which is one of lthe world's largest residential University. The faculty also has to stay in the campus itself and classes go on late in the evening too. It has courses from primary to Ph. D. It is one of the leading institutions established in 1935, for girls education by a Sastri family in the memory of  their daughter Shantabai , who died at the young age of twelve and who was very involved in social work and  Women's education and  from whom there was a big expectation that she would  contribute to women's cause in a big way. This University combines the spirituality of East with the rational and scientific ideas of the West. There is emphasis on spirituality and wearing of khadi . The girls are taught horse riding, flying, the University has eleven Gliders for flying, swimming, shooting besides the Indian games of kho kho, kabbadi over and above the regular courses of study. I was taken around the campus and we went to the initial building where this whole campus which is today of a thousand acres started in 1935. This was close to Gandhi's heart and Nehru too spoke highly of the education given here. They have a band which plays folk and Rajasthani music and they have won various awards in International competitions for their ghoomer dances. So many people contributed to Women's education in the beginning and Banasthali also stands tall amidst these initial efforts.