Gijubhai Badheka
| Girijashankar Bhagwanji Badheka | |
|---|---|
Gijubhai Badheka
|
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| Born | 15 November 1885 Chittal, Saurashtra (region), India |
| Died | 23 June 1939 (aged 53) Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India |
| Known for | Education, Reforms, Children's Education, Dakshinamurti. Also known as Moochali Maa |
Gijubhai Badheka (15 November 1885 – 23 June 1939) born Chittal, India, was an educationist who helped to introduce Montessori education methods to India.[1] He is referred to as "Moochhali Maa" ("mother with whiskers"). In the first instance, Badheka was a high court lawyer. Following the birth of his son in 1923, he developed an interest in childhood development and education. In 1920, Badheka founded the "Bal Mandir" pre-primary school.[2] Badheka published a number of works in the field of education including Divaswapna ("Daydreams").[2]
Life
Badheka was born in the Saurashtra region of western India. His given (first) name was "Girijashankar". Badheka grew up in Bhavnagar, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. In 1907, he moved to East Africa and later, Bombay for work. Badheka died on June 23, 1939 in Bhavnagar, India.[citation needed]
Contribution to education
In 1920, Badheka founded the Bal Mandir kindergarten. Later, Nanabhai Bhatt, Harbhai Trivedi and Badheka built the "Shree Dakshinamurti Vinay Mandir" school in Bhavnagar.[3]
Published works
Badheka published close to 200 works including storybooks.[2] His topics include children, education, travel and humour. However, his focus was books for children, parents and educators.
