An unsung ‘akhara' prepares to enter its centenary year

Few would have heard of an akhara in this small Maharashtra town that was endorsed by none other than Mahatma Gandhi for its commitment to physical health. Hanuman Vyayam Prasark Mandal has stood the test of time, acting as a premier institute of physical education and sports.

However, despite its place in history, the institute founded in 1914 lies unsung as it prepares to celebrate its centenary next year. Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated the main building, built later in 1926, and commended the institute both for its commitment to physical health and the communal harmony it exhibited on the campus. Then a touring team from the akhara, which showcased India's traditional physical activities on its Berlin Olympics visit in 1936, received the Hitler's Medal.

The institute was established as ‘Hanuman Akhara' by the Vaidaya brothers — Anant Krishna and Ambadas Krishna — drawing inspiration from the Maharashtrian patriot, Veer Vamanrao Joshi.

The institute takes pride in its association with some of the most famous luminaries. “Apart from Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, legendary Olympics administrator Carl Diem also paid a visit to this institute,” says its treasurer S.H. Deshpande.

IIFT Set up its First Overseas Campus in Kampala, Uganda

The government-run Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) setup its first overseas campus in Kampala, Uganda to assist students of African nations understand the nuances of globalisation and capacity-building in the continent.

The new institute, named India-Africa Institute of Foreign Trade (IAIFT), is being set up as a part of the Indian government's initiative to help develop a higher education system in African countries in specialised fields.

It will be a pan-Africa institute-part of India's commitment for capacity-building in Africa. Established in 1963 by the government of India, IIFT runs some specialised programmes in collaboration with foreign institutions, but it has no full-fledged overseas campus in any country. Headquartered in New Delhi, it also has a campus in Kolkata.

During the India-Africa Forum Summit in 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced that India would help establish 19 educational institutions in Africa. IIFT is one of them and the African Union wanted it to be set up in Kampala.