Gramodaya P.G. College and Research Institute

?The aim of the college is to bring higher education to the villages. 70% of India?s population lives in rural areas yet for post-secondary education, villagers have to go to the towns and cities. The Gramodaya Post Graduate College and Research Institute is situated in the village of Amarpurkashi, just by National Highway 93. The ethos is rural and makes the college a place of peaceful harmony where all religions and castes study happily together. The college environment is particularly conducive to study. There are none of the distractions and disturbances of urban life. Because the Principal and many of the staff live on campus, help and advice is available to students at all times. There are beautiful, well-tended gardens and in winter, study groups take place on the lawns in the sunshine. The college library is very well stocked and books are always accessible to students. Over the years, the college has built up a reputation not only for quality of education but also for safety and security. 49% of the students are now female. It is also well known for its discipline and enforcement of rules and regulations. The examination results are outstanding and the college frequently surpasses all other colleges in the vicinity. The college has taken the initiative to make research more practically based and relevant and has already conducted a successful action research project on the state of local government primary schools. ''In 2010, Samir Gandhi, B.A. (Hons) and Hinesh Mehta, B.A. (Hons) from the London School of Economics, completed a report on environmental pollution in Amarpurkashi and the surrounding area. This report was based on their action research conducted from Oct. to Dec. 2009 at Amarpurkashi as environmental advisors sent from the Asian Foundation for Philanthropy (London)''. ?The college also works with INTAF (the International Task Force for the Rural Poor) and VRI (Volunteers for Rural India) to produce a research journal, IJRS (the International Journal of Rural Studies) which aims to highlight and encourage socially relevant and useful research in various fields of rural studies and to identify the potential of the rural population and find ways and means to realize this potential.?