Shri M M Pupils' High School and Sharda Mandir

nal problem of children, a small Educational Institution was found in the year 1929 at Pune by another personality, Shri Jehangirji. Vakil popularly known as kaka and Aunty had high ideals about education which they had imbibed during their stay with Gurudev in Shantiniketan. Indira Gandhi, Shri Kamalnayan Bajaj, two daughters of Smt. Vijayalaxmi Pandit, Jai and Ira Vakil. The school was then known as Pupils' Own School- the name justifying the ideals behind it. Mahatma Gandhi, Rajaji, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Sarojini Naidu, Jawaharlal Nehru, and other did honour to the school us by visiting it. In September 1933, plague broke out in Poona and the school had to be shifted to Swami Vivekananda Road, Vile Parle (West), Mumbai, and Sarojini Naydu performed the opening ceremony. Later it was shifted to Mor Bunglow - an old magnificent building in Vile Parle (East), Mumbai. In 1939-40 Shri Jahangirji Vakil thought of retirement. No one was prepared to shoulder the burden of the school. The school had by the time become an ideal school where real education was imparted but it run into huge losses. Who would think of taking over institution which runs into loss, however, good it may be? Only a person moved by ideals can do this. Vimalaben Satalvad was impressed by the good work of the school and she decided to take over this responsibility. She formed a committee with the help of other friends. The school passed through various vicissitudes. It scraped through all difficulties mainly through the efforts of Shrimati Vimalaben Satalvad. In June 1946 the Sharada Mandir at Khar sponsored by Shri Virbal Mehta and the Pupils' Own School joined and the school was then shifted to Khar. The School was then housed in hutments built on the land belonging to Shrimati Kusumben Thakore. It also occupied some temporary huts built on the peace of land belonging to Shri Chandravadan Randeri. Besides these places, there was building of Sharada Mandir and a garage or two. Negotiations were going on for acquiring a piece of land somewhere in Khar. We could get such a plot on 16th Road but it was considered to be very far off. Efforts were continued to get a plot somewhere near railway station. The present site on the main road was then acquired. The munificent donation of Rs. 40000/- from Maganlal Maneklal & Co. paved the way for many other donations and ultimately we had this building in which the school site to-day. We got the plot of land on 3rd February 1949. On the Vasant Panchami day, the ceremony was performed by revered gurudayal Malikji. In acquiring this land, in raising a fund for the building and in making the school into what it is now we are deeply indebted to Shrimati Vimalaben Satalvad. It was due to her untiring efforts that the school has now blossomed from small bud in to a full-grown flower. On 14th March 1950 Shri Maharajsingh - the governor of Bombay State performed the opening ceremony of the new building. Since then the school has gradually expanding, since 1959 two shifts were started to meet with the great rush for admissions.