The Kengeri Gurukula Vidya Peeta was founded by freedom fighters and Gandhians like Dr C B Rama Rao, Swamy Vishwananda, T Ramachandra and K B Purushottam.
The Gurukula, which was then called, ‘Gurukula Seva Sangha’ was established in 1926 with the objective of motivating youngsters to do their bit for social causes.
The young members of Seva Sangha are said to have volunteered to work in villages. When Mahatma Gandhi visited the Seva Sangha at Kengeri, twice, he guided them to visit villages and organise people to tackle socio-economic problems in these villages through collective efforts.
A memorial building had been built at the Seva Sangha premises to commemorate the visits of Mahatma Gandhi.
Well preserved
The senior volunteers of Gurukula have preserved with great care, whatever remained of the official correspondence connected with Ganhiji's first and second visits to Gurukula in 1934 and 1936 respectively.
After Independence, Seva Sangha became the Gurukula Vidyapeeta. The Vidyapeeta, an NGO, runs an orphanage, a free residential school and a 'short-stay-home' for underprivileged women hoping for early rehabilitation.
The orphanage, Krishna Bala Mandira, has 80 children who belong to backward castes and communities. There are about hundred boys who have been provided with free boarding, lodging and free formal education by the Gurukula.
Tailoring, handicrafts and other vocational training programmes are conducted on a regular basis for women of the Tatkalika Mahila Parihara Dhama (short-stay- home). The Gurukula Vidya Peetha celebrated its diamond jubilee in 2001.
The Gurukula Vidya Peetha is situated at Vidyapeetha Road, Kengeri Post. Ph: 28483813.