The foundation stone of the Gurukul was laid, significantly, at the hands of a Harijan girl on the auspicious Dev Diwali Day in 1936. Within the short span of one year, construction of the Ashram, the school building, hostel with a fully equipped kitchen and dining hall, a medical examination room and staff quarters, etc., was completed. The Gurukul was declared open on 5th December 1937 by H.H. Maharana Natvarsinhji of Porbandar in the presence of an august gathering which, included several saints and intellectuals.

From this small beginning the enrollment today is between 1000-1200 girls annually. More than 20,000 girls have passed through the portals of the Gurukul in the past half century and have been spreading the message of Indian culture around the world- culture which they have imbibed from their systematic all-round training at Gurukul.

The girls begin learning four different languages from the very start of their curricular activities, namely, Gujarati, Hindi, Sanskrit and English. The medium of instruction is Gujarati, but intensive coaching in Hindi prepares the girls for the Hindi examination conducted by the Institute at Wardha and a number of them graduate in Hindi well before they finish schooling.

A SYNTHESIS OF THE MODERN AND THE TRADITIONAL

The educational system at Gurukul is a blend of the rich ancient Vedic heritage and the modern educational system with its orientation towards science and technology. The Gurukul system attempts to eradicate the lacuna of the present day system of education, which only stresses materialism but lacks in moral, religious or spiritual orientation.

Classes V to XII of the Secondary School curriculum are conducted in the Gurukul whereas the classes for the degree course are held in the Gurukul Women's College. The College Hostel accommodates 250 girls. Another 400 girls from the city of Porbandar and surrounding villages attend the daytime courses.

For girls oriented towards the fine arts, there are courses in music and painting, and the talented amongst them qualify for music and painting examinations conducted by the All Gujarat Music Committee and the State Examination Board respectively.

The Gurukul and its curricula preparing the students for the Xth and XIIth standard examinations have been granted recognition by the State level Secondary School Boards.

The Gurukul system attempts to eradicate the lacuna of the present day system of education which only stresses materialism but lacks in moral, religious or spiritual orientation.

YOGA FOR ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT

The curriculum lays equal emphasis on physical training of the girls. Besides yogic exercises, the girls are trained in Indian and Japanese martial arts of self-defence.

SARASWATI SABHA

The Saraswati Sabha, named after Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning, is a forum conducted by the girls themselves which inspires and enables them to give expression to their latent talents. The forum's activities include debates, writing, artistic creativity including acting and 'Rangoli'- drawing designs on the floor using powdered chalk in a variety of colours. The girls also edit the forum's house magazine 'Bharati'. The Ashram's daily routine is conducted by a Daily Committee, which allocated duties and chores amongst the member girls.

THE GURUKUL A FAMILY

The real man is he who has been reared in the cultural warmth and affection of his parents and of his Guru. In the Ashrams throughout India, Gurus provided the warmth of the family atmosphere besides institutional training. The Gurukul has followed the same pattern and has interwoven Ashram life with imparting of knowledge.

The enrollment to the Gurukul is without any distinction of caste, creed or religion. Girls from devout Muslim families and Christian native girls from Africa have also been trained at the Gurukul.