I first heard about Gijubhai Badheka in 2018 from his granddaughter, Mamata Pandya, an educator, writer and friend. She was then digitizing Gijubhai’s writings and books. In 2023, Mamata undertook a fresh English translation of Divaswapna from the original Gujarati which was first published in 1931. This new edition was published in 2024.
Only when I received the book and began reading Divaswapna did I realize Gijubhai’s immense contribution to education. A thinker, educator, storyteller and institution builder, Gijubhai Badheka was way ahead of his times. He helped introduce Montessori educational methods to India in the early 1900s and creatively adapted the methods to Indian schools. Very few are aware of this.