Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first school in his hometown Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat is being developed as a model school called “Prerna” to inspire youth of the country to become “catalysts of change”.
Prerna, which means inspiration, is being developed as an “experiential” school, top government sources said, adding it is envisioned to be a school of the future but with focus on values imparted using various techniques and technologies. The first batch is to graduate next year.
Two students each from the more than 750 districts of the country would be selected to spend around a week in the school, the sources said, adding that at any time, 30 students from 15 districts would be at the school, which has a total of only eight classrooms.
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Extensive restoration work has been done on the school, which was built in the late 19th century.
The Union Culture Ministry, along with the Government of Gujarat, is also developing a state-of-the-art archaeological museum in the ancient town. The museum will showcase the development of the town through the lens of seven cultural periods in a span of 2,500 years. It will also offer a walkway through the excavated site.
The effort is to complete the work by October this year. The entire cost of the museum of approximately ₹200 crore would be borne by the Union Ministry of Culture.
Vadnagar is a historic town with a population of nearly 30,000. It was an important cultural and trading centre and a land port in Gujarat. The town along with the Sun Temple at Modhera, both in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, were added to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in December last year.
The first archaeological excavation was undertaken in Vadnagar in 1953-54. In recent years, the Directorate of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat has conducted excavations across multiple locations in the city. In 2008, excavations led to the major findings of an ancient Buddhist monastery and votive stupas (in fulfilment of a vow) that had been established around the 1st Century CE and continued till 7th Century CE, the sources said.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took over the excavations in 2014 that led to significant findings about Vadnagar in terms of its earliest defence structures, sustainable water management practices (linking of artificial lakes), shell bangle manufacturing industry and external maritime trade links.
The sources said that various excavations had brought to light a continuous cultural sequence dating back to the 2nd Century BCE and the history of Vadnagar can be divided into seven cultural periods from pre 2nd Century BC to 19th Century CE.
The government of Gujarat has roped in several institutions to carry out further research in the town. This includes IIT-Kharagpur, CEPT University Ahmedabad, IIT-Gandhinagar and the Banaras Hindu University.
