While talking about Baroda, no one forgets the visionary king Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III but they often forget that his queen Maharani Chimnabai II was just as foresighted as he was. While the Maharaja was working on reforming every other system of the state, the Maharani was busy uplifting the women of the State. One of the major step she took in this direction was to establish a professional training institute called the Shree Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya.
The Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya :
The idea of setting up a vocational institute was in the mind of the Queen ever since her visit to abroad in 1909. During her tour, she visited and examined many institutes working for the welfare of women. Upon coming back, she formed a committee to collect necessary funds and do the research required to establish the institute.
Finally in the year 1914, after acquiring sufficient funds, the institute started with 3 students at the Lallu Bahadur’s Haveli near Mandvi Gate. In the beginning the ladies were given training in tailoring.
Although the institute began in the 1914, it only began to have sufficient number of students after a few years of opening. Due to the social conditions of those times, the ladies were reluctant to attend the institute. But the Queen was persistent, so she appointed wives of few officers, who went from house to house to convincing the ladies. These efforts made by the Queen and her ladies finally succeeded and brought in number of students.
As the number of students increased, new courses such as embroidery, lace making, book binding were also added. Later, in the year 1936 the institute was registered as a charitable institute. After this it was granted a huge amount for the construction of a separate building from the Sir Sayajirao Diamond Jubilee Fund.
Thus a separate building was constructed around 1938-39 near the Sursagar Lake. By this time the institute had almost 200 girls seeking admission almost every year. For this purpose a hostel with free boarding facilities was setup for girls coming from the rural areas.
The Building :
The State Architect and the contractor Sheth Kavasji Faramji were appointed for the construction of the building.
Sitting on a higher level from the road, the double storeyed building features rows of majestic Islamic arches. Tucked away behind compound walls and tall trees the building looks out onto the massive lake. These factors add up to provide a great atmosphere for learning. Apart from this, special care was taken during the planning to keep the building well lit and well ventilated. For this purpose, several windows and corridors were used to facilitate good ventilation.
The buildings consists of around 10 big and small rooms and provides many courses such as Dress Making, Hand Embroidery, Computer, Beauty Parlor, Block Printing etc.
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What started as a small institute with just 3 students, with the hard work, perseverance and foresight of a visionary Queen, has now become a full fledged institute. The institute is now more than a 100 years old and still continues to provide training to hundreds of women, helping them to stand on their own two feet.
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