The founder of Jnana Prabodhini Late Dr. Vinayak Vishwanath alias Appa Pendse, was an educationist, social activist and a great thinker. Swami Vivekananda was his inspiration. Swami Vivekananda tried to combine the cultural heritage of our country which expresses our identity and unity with the social awakening and organisation work required for the eradication of poverty and suffering. This thought inspires a number of works in India and abroad. One such autonomous experiment is ‘Jnana Prabodhini.’
A Psychologist himself, Dr. V. V. Pendse realized, that to achieve big dreams there is a need for self-confident intelligence. He knew that those youth whose physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects of personality have taken shape, can solve the problems before independent India more efficiently. He chose the path of leadership development and leadership education for the goal of changing the face of our nation! Thus, Jnana Prabodhini was established in 1962 as an educational experiment for the intellectually gifted.
Jnana Prabodhini - “Awakener of knowledge” - a movement for motivating intelligence towards social change.
What began as an academic experiment for selected students, today has created its own identity as an organization acknowledged at national and international levels. This is a movement to motivate every person’s intelligence for social change. Currently, departments of Jnana Prabodhini work in the following areas: Education, Research, Rural Development and Health, Youth Organization, Stree Shakti Prabodhan (Mobilisation of Women's Power) and National Integration.
Headquarter - Pune
Centres - Nigdi, Solapur, Harali
Sub centres - Salumbre, Shivapur, Velhe
Extension centres - Ambajogai, Dombivali, Borivali