Back to all latest newsSomaiya Vidyavihar celebrates 81st Foundation Day
~ Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General – CSMVS Museum, attended the event as the Chief Guest and spoke about the importance of heritage and culture ~
Somaiya Vidyavihar celebrated its 81st Foundation Day on 1st December at the Vidyavihar campus, Mumbai.The Chief Guest of the event was Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who is the Director General of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai, a premier cultural institution and museum in India. He is also the Director of the Postgraduate (Diploma) Programme in Museology and Art Conservation at CSMVS affiliated to the University of Mumbai.
The event kicked off with the inauguration of the Navriti Exhibition, which was a student’s project exhibition that hosted various projects by students from Somaiya Vidyavihar in the areas of Design Technology, Utility Devices, Startups, Eco-Friendly Ideas, and Science Behind Technology. Some very interesting project ideas included utility devices for the blind, sustainable ideas for plastic alternatives and the design tech behind a smart warehouse monitoring system.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General, CSMVS Museum, said, “There are not many people left in the world who still care about culture and heritage. I am extremely glad to say that Somaiya is one of the very few institutions which takes a genuine interest in humanities. Santiniketan, where Tagore and I both hail from, is a place which is very close to my heart. It is an abode of learning and culture; it brings me joy to say that Padma Bhushan Shri Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya has managed to create a small Santiniketan, right here in Mumbai.”
Speaking about the history of the institute and the importance of heritage and culture, Shri Samir Somaiya, President, Somaiya Vidyavihar, said, “Shri Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya started the first Somaiya institution as a small school way back in 1942. 81 years later, here we are, trying our best to carry forward his legacy – earn with a hundred hands and give back with a thousand. We have come a long, long way as an institution. Currently we house about 40,000 students and have multiple institutions in varied fields. We have now reached a stage where we can focus on how to weave in our culture and heritage and strengthen our identity into the education system itself. In this rapidly globalising world, one must stick true to their heritage and roots and not forget one’s own identity, Somaiya Vidyavihar is one such institution that advocates this ideology and tries to inculcate it into its students.”
In his welcome address, Dr. Raghunath Shevgaonkar, Provost, Somaiya Vidyavihar, said, “The institute was founded on the belief that education is an important pillar of nation building. A quality education and value system is the only way to transform society. It is the duty of the privileged to provide education to all. The Somaiya Trust was founded in 1959 to provide quality, holistic education by Padma Bhushan Shri Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya, an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He believed that an all-round education must integrate the Indian culture, its values and its morality. He lived by the philosophy that you must give back what you receive, multi-fold. ‘Knowledge alone liberates’, remains our motto as we strive to excel in our educational endeavours.”
About Somaiya Vidyavihar, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, KJ Somaiya Medical Trust, and other institutions promoted by the KJ Somaiya Trust
Somaiya Vidya Mandir was started in 1942 by Padmabhushan Shri Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya to create great citizens of India.
Today the institutions founded by him have grown in size and reach. Together, these institutions have over 1500 faculty imparting education to over 39,000 students in the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat, extending from elementary education to PhD. Education is offered in diverse areas such as Humanities, Commerce and Sciences, Education, Vocational Studies, Engineering, Management, Dharma Studies, Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Languages, Design & Incubation, Performing Arts, Traditional Crafts and more. The two Mumbai campuses are located in Vidyavihar and Ayurvihar (Chunabhatti).
KJ Somaiya Medical Trust also operates a 550-bed teaching hospital associated with Medical Education providing service and care to thousands of people every year.
Somaiya Vidyavihar University was inaugurated in 2019 to further advance the academic quality, depth and breadth of knowledge.
Our dream is to create a world class institution that is proudly Indian - global in the reach of its ideas and universal in its service.
