PM Marks 50 Years of Chennai's Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the golden jubilee of Chennai's Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya on 11 October 2026 and listed India's education gains.

Why in News
On 11 October 2026 Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the golden jubilee of the Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where he set out the growth in universities and colleges and said India is preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and dreams of the 2036 Olympics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part on 11 October 2026 in the golden jubilee celebrations of the Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School at Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The trust that runs it, the Vishwa Hindu Vidya Kendra, has completed fifty years. Speaking on the opening day of Navratri, he called Tamil Nadu the land of Shiva and Shakti and said meeting students there made for a fitting start to the festival.
From seven students to fifteen institutions
The Kendra was set up in 1975 as one small school in West Mambalam, a locality of Chennai. It then had just seven children on its rolls, no permanent building of its own and thin resources. The Prime Minister put its survival down to the determination and service spirit of the founders, and said the group now runs 15 institutions in different parts of Tamil Nadu. He recalled the help Jaigopal Garodia gave in raising the school building, and thanked the teachers, staff, parents and alumni of the five decades.
A rupee a day for soldiers
He recounted having spoken on Mann Ki Baat about Girija Amma, who got schoolchildren to keep aside one rupee every day for the country's soldiers. Thousands of pupils took up the pledge and the money collected came to forty lakh rupees. The Prime Minister said he first came to know her during the Ekta Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in the early 1990s, and that a later meeting with her at Nagercoil brought him to this jubilee.
The education figures he cited
| Universities | About 750 in 2014, more than 1,300 today |
| Colleges | About 38,000 earlier, over 52,000 today |
| Indian names in QS Rankings | 14 universities in 2015, 52 in the latest list |
He added that these years have also given the country a number of new IITs, IIMs, IIITs and AIIMS, and credited the new education policy for lifting the quality of teaching and for the wider global recognition Indian institutions now get.
Sport, and the resolutions he set
On careers away from the classroom, the Prime Minister said sport is being treated as a profession and not as entertainment, with new facilities and better training reaching young athletes. He said India is preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and is going ahead with the dream of hosting the 2036 Olympics. He closed by making the students repeat 'We will do it' after a string of national goals: a developed India by 2047, a place among the top three economies, a self-reliant nation, a global manufacturing hub, an Olympic Games on Indian soil and an Indian on the Moon. He also asked them to read Mahakavi Bharathiyar, whose words 'Achamillai, Achamillai' teach people to live without fear, and mentioned handing a Russian translation of the Thirukkural of the saint Thiruvalluvar to Russian President Putin.
Important Facts
| Event | Golden jubilee of Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya, Chennai |
|---|---|
| Date | 11 October 2026, the first day of Navratri |
| Attended by | Prime Minister Narendra Modi |
| Trust | Vishwa Hindu Vidya Kendra |
| Founded | 1975, at West Mambalam in Chennai |
| Students at the start | Seven |
| Institutions today | 15, across Tamil Nadu |
| Universities in India | About 750 in 2014 to more than 1,300 today |
| Colleges in India | About 38,000 to over 52,000 |
| In QS Rankings | 14 Indian universities in 2015, 52 in the latest list |
| Commonwealth Games | India preparing to host the 2030 edition |
| Olympics | Dream of hosting in 2036; developed India target 2047 |
Exam Point of View
Remember 1975 and West Mambalam for the start of the Vishwa Hindu Vidya Kendra with seven students, its 15 institutions in Tamil Nadu today, universities rising from about 750 in 2014 to over 1,300, colleges from 38,000 to over 52,000, QS entries from 14 in 2015 to 52, the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the 2036 Olympics dream and the developed India by 2047 resolution. The Thirukkural of Thiruvalluvar was given to President Putin in Russian translation.
Practice Questions
In which year did the Vishwa Hindu Vidya Kendra begin as a small school at West Mambalam in Chennai?
- A.1965
- B.1970
- C.1975
- D.1980
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is 1975. The institution started that year as a single small school in the West Mambalam locality of Chennai, with only seven children on its rolls, no permanent building and very limited resources. Because it began in 1975, the school completed fifty years in 2026, which is why its golden jubilee was celebrated on 11 October 2026 with the Prime Minister present. From that one school the trust has grown into a group of 15 institutions spread across different parts of Tamil Nadu. Option A, 1965, and option B, 1970, are both too early and would place the golden jubilee well before the event that was actually held. Option D, 1980, is too late: a school founded then would complete fifty years only later in the decade and not in 2026. Candidates should link the founding year to the jubilee year, since paper setters often test the pair together.
The number of universities in India has grown from about 750 in 2014 to more than how many today?
- A.900
- B.1,100
- C.1,300
- D.1,600
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is more than 1,300. Speaking at the jubilee, the Prime Minister said the count of universities in the country stood at about 750 in 2014 and has since crossed 1,300, a near doubling in roughly a decade. He paired that with the figure for colleges, which has moved from about 38,000 to over 52,000, and noted that several new IITs, IIMs, IIITs and AIIMS were set up in the same years. Options A and B, 900 and 1,100, understate the present count and would wrongly suggest much slower growth than the figure he gave. Option D, 1,600, overstates it; no such number was mentioned at the event. For the examination hall the safest way to hold this is as a pair of before and after figures, about 750 against more than 1,300 for universities and about 38,000 against over 52,000 for colleges.
How many Indian universities feature in the latest QS Rankings, against 14 in 2015?
- A.28
- B.36
- C.44
- D.52
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is 52. The Prime Minister said that in the QS Rankings of 2015 only 14 universities from India found a place, and that the latest edition of those rankings carries 52 Indian names. He offered the jump as evidence that the new education policy is lifting the quality of teaching and that institutions in the country are winning wider global recognition, which in turn leaves students with more institutions, more choices and more opportunities. Options A, B and C, namely 28, 36 and 44, are plausible looking intermediate numbers but none of them was the count given for the latest rankings. Aspirants should memorise this as a before and after pair, 14 in 2015 against 52 now, because questions on reports and rankings are usually framed around exactly such a comparison rather than a single year.
Which major multi-sport Games is India preparing to host in 2030?
- A.Asian Games
- B.Commonwealth Games
- C.Summer Olympic Games
- D.Winter Olympic Games
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is the Commonwealth Games. At the Chennai jubilee the Prime Minister said India is preparing to host the Commonwealth Games of 2030, and that alongside it the country is carrying forward the dream of hosting the Olympics in 2036. He set this in the context of sport being built up as a career, with new sporting facilities and better training and support reaching young athletes, which he said is raising India's standing in world sport. Option C, the Summer Olympic Games, is the event tied to 2036 rather than 2030, so pairing it with the earlier year is the trap in this question. Option D, the Winter Olympic Games, was not mentioned at all. Option A, the Asian Games, is a continental event and no Indian hosting year for it was announced here. Hosting the Olympics also appeared among the resolutions he repeated with the students, along with a developed India by 2047, a top three economy and an Indian on the Moon.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Vishwa Hindu Vidya Kendra begin, and with how many students?
It began in 1975 as a small school at West Mambalam in Chennai with seven students. The group now runs 15 institutions in different parts of Tamil Nadu, and its Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya marked fifty years on 11 October 2026.
Which Games is India preparing to host in 2030?
The Commonwealth Games. The Prime Minister also said India is moving ahead with the dream of hosting the 2036 Olympics, and set a developed India by 2047 among the resolutions he repeated with the students.
How many Indian universities are in the latest QS Rankings?
Fifty-two, against 14 in 2015. Over a comparable period universities in India grew from about 750 in 2014 to more than 1,300, and colleges from about 38,000 to over 52,000.
Sources
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2322003 (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
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