Shri Om Prakash Gandhi
President Kovind gives the Padma Shri honor upon Shri Om Prakash “Gandhi” in recognition of his humanitarian efforts. As the creator of the Gurjar Kanya Gurukul Institute, he made a great contribution to the field of girls’ education in the village of Devdhar, Haryana.
Who is Om Prakash Gandhi ?
Om Prakash Gandhi, also known as Om Prakash Poswal, is a social worker from the Indian State of Haryana who is committed to the cause of educating girls. He was born on February 1, 1942.
He was born into a Gurjar farmer family in Madhobans village, Yamunanagar district, Haryana, and attended Mukand Lal Senior Secondary School in Radaur. He graduated from Agra University with a B Sc. He joined Gurjar Degree College (now renamed as Gochar Mahavidhyalaya) at Rampur Maniharan in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh as a lecturer after receiving his MSc in physics from Meerut University (Uttar Pradesh).
He left his position at the institution after 20 years of service in order to work in the area of women’s education. In Khadri village, he established the Kanya Vidhya Pracharni Sabha, a society to promote education among girls, and under its auspices, he established the Gurjar Kanya Vidhya Mandir School in Devdhar village, Yamunanagar district, Haryana. The Sabha also founded the higher education facility for women in Yamuna Nagar called Gurjar Kanya Gurukul Mahavidyalaya. Manohar Lal Khattar, the chief minister of Haryana, lay the cornerstone for the Samrat Mihir Bhoj Gurukul Vidyapeeth on January 14, 2022. It will be run under Om Praksh Gandhi’s patronage.