History of Bharati Vidyapeeth

The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.

- H. W. Longfellow

There are perhaps many who have read this quotation by this famous American poet and educator, but very few who have ever lived by it! The idea to uplift the masses, through the medium of education was envisioned by one such person in a small room in Pune, long before quality private education became a reality in this country.

Today, that idea has crystalized into Bharati Vidyapeeth and we know that person as Dr. Patangrao Kadam, the founder of Bharati Vidyapeeth.

Early Steps

It was perhaps the 5-km long walks to the only accessible school, which was in a nearby village that forged a burning desire in the young Dr. Kadam to bring the fruits of education to the hundreds and thousands after him. This led to the birth of Bharati Vidyapeeth in a single room in the erstwhile Poona when he was just 20 years old and working as a part time teacher himself! His is an incredible life story, wrought with adversities but scripted by dint of hard work and a higher purpose in life. The pursuit of quality education, not only for others but also for himself was lifelong and is evident as he went on to do his Bachelor’s in Law, Master’s Degree and even a Ph. D from the University of Pune.

The year 1963, was a significant one for this visionary as he became deeply concerned at the plight of most Maharashtrian students who couldn’t make the cut for national level institutions such as National Defence Academy and other competitive examinations. Once he delved deep into it, he came to realize that the reason for this is a relatively weaker foundation in important subjects like English and Mathematics, in these students. Taking it up as a mission, Dr. Kadam started out with conducting competitive examinations in these two subjects to evoke a sense of curiosity and interest among school children. Interestingly, this went on to be the mainstay of Bharati Vidyapeeth and something that continues to this day.

Established in 1964, Bharati Vidyapeeth started its journey from a small room in the congested lanes in the old part of Pune city. Far-sighted and hard-working, this young man carried on with his noble mission unabatedly. ‘Social Transformation through dynamic education’, has been the guiding principle of this enterprising individual, who engineered an educational revolution in the most formative decades of this nation’s history. Critics tried to write it off at one point of time, due to its humble origins, but the Bharati Vidyapeeth establishment defied all stereotypes and is one of the top private universities in the country, today.

Bharati Vidyapeeth Today

Ever since its inception, Bharati Vidyapeeth has been at the forefront in the field of education, especially higher and professional education. With a glorious journey of 56 years, the Bharati Vidyapeeth family today has an array of institutes, right from pre-primary schools to postgraduate institutes and even, a university.

With over 78 schools and 60 institutes of higher education under its administration, Bharati Vidyapeeth has distinguished itself especially in professional education. Among these are colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Ayurved, Homeopathy, Nursing, Pharmacy, Engineering, Management, Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Environment Science, Agriculture etc.

Bharati Vidyapeeth understood the need for research activities at an early stage and with a view to promote a research culture on its campuses, went on to establish five specialized research institutes in the areas of Health-Related Sciences, Biotechnology, Information Technology, Applied Chemistry and Social Sciences.

With a proud presence in prominent cities of the Indian sub-continent such as New Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Karad, Satara, and Panchgani, Bharati Vidyapeeth is probably the only organization from Maharashtra having its own campus in the capital city of India. But the innate desire to bring quality education to the students of rural, tribal and deprived sections of the population, has propelled Bharati Vidyapeeth to establish its institutions in the rural areas and even the remotest tribal and coastal areas of Maharashtra, too.

Standing tall in a 10-storied building in the prestigious area of Deccan Gymkhana in the city of Pune, is the corporate office of Bharati Vidyapeeth, the heart of its pan-India operations. Once famous as the tallest building in Pune, it’s still a proud landmark of the city!

Inception of Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University)

In 1996, a life-long aspiration of Dr. Kadam and the entire Bharati Vidyapeeth family came true when the Government of India, on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission, granted the status of "Deemed to be University" to a cluster of 12 institutions of Bharati Vidyapeeth in recognition of their academic excellence. 26th April, 1996 is a red-letter day for the entire Bharati Vidyapeeth fraternity, as Bharati Vidyapeeth as a (Deemed to be University), came into existence. Years of hard work, sheer dedication and the undying spirit of its founder, Dr. Patangrao Kadam had finally turned his ambition into reality.

The Govt. of India has brought the following seven institutions of Bharati Vidyapeeth located in different cities within the purview of Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) as its constituent institutions vide their Notification No. E9-16/2004-U3 DT. 25/02/2005. With the inclusion of these seven institutions located at different places. Bharati Vidyapeeth University has now become a multi-campus Deemed University.

Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Architecture, Pune

Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Ayurved, Pune

Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Engineering, Pune

Bharati Vidyapeeth's School of Optometry, Pune

Bharati Vidyapeeth's New Law College, Pune

Bharati Vidyapeeth's Institute of Management, Kolhapur

Bharati Vidyapeeth's Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune

Bharati Vidyapeeth's Abhijit Kadam Institute of Management and Social Sciences, Solapur

Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Nursing, Sangli

010

Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Nursing, Navi Mumbai

011

Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Physical Education, Pune

012

Bharati Vidyapeeth's Dental College & Hospital, Sangli

In addition, the Govt. of India has also brought the following two colleges within the ambit of Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) vide their Notification No. F9-7/2004-U, 3 dt.19/08/2004.

Bharati Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital, Sangli

Bharati Vidyapeeth's Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai

Unlike most of the Deemed to be Universities in the country, Bharati Vidyapeeth is a multi-disciplinary and multi-campus Deemed to be University, presently having under its umbrella 29 institutions of various disciplines. The University has established its credentials and reputation as a leading Deemed to be University in the country. Dr. Kadam has always emphasized that the students of Bharati Vidyapeeth should get updated and excellent education in a very hospitable and conducive atmosphere. Taking advantage of the autonomy which, it has and the flexibility which it can offer, this University has introduced numerous innovative academic programs and activities.