BRANCH OFFICE, ALLAHABAD

Anand Bhavan

Anand Bhawan, the home of the Nehru family in Allahabad, was handed over to the Fund by Shrimati Indira Gandhi in November 1970. This is in keeping with a similar gesture made by her illustrious grandfather when he donated Swaraj Bhawan to the nation. Anand Bhawan is intimately connected with India’s struggle for freedom. Some of the rooms in the building which are redolent with history have been either preserved or recreated. A comprehensive exhibition of the Nehru family’s role in the country’s struggle for freedom has also been arranged.

The electrical wiring and fittings of Anand Bhawan building have been completely replaced and upgraded by German ERCO light fittings in 2014.

The Library at Anand Bhawan consisting of nearly 7500 books has been catalogued. The National Museum and the Allahabad Museum have rendered valuable assistance to the Fund in the preservation of books, records and relic articles in Anand Bhawan.

Several lakhs of visitors from all over the country and abroad come and visit this ancestral home of Nehrus.

Memorial functions and an annual lecture are also a part of the Anand Bhavan’s annual programme.

Jawahar Planetarium

A planetarium is a powerful means of educating students in the science of astronomy. It also helps educate the general public about the universe we inhabit. The Fund has installed an 80-seater planetarium at Anand Bhawan, at a cost of Rs 25 lakhs with a view to promoting and encouraging scientific education, which is one of the objects of the Trust. This was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Smt Indira Gandhi on 29 November 1980. It has proved very popular among students of Allahabad and adjoining areas. It arranges six shows daily round the year, except on Mondays and some festival holidays.

The Planeatrium was renovated in 2012 by replacing the old Planetarium equipment by a new digital equipment model Digister 4. This has been upgraded to Digister 5 in 2014. The seating capacity of Jawahar Planetarium has now been increased to 96.

The renovated Jawahar Planetarium was inaugurated by Shri Jairam Ramesh, then Minister for Rural Development, Govt. of India, on 30 March 2012.

Jawahar Bal Bhavan

Jawaharlal Nehru’s love for children, whom he looked upon as the real wealth of the nation, is well known. As a fitting memorial directed towards the improvement of facilities for children, without duplicating projects already included in the educational system in the country, the Fund sponsored a series of Jawahar Bal Bhavans where children can learn to do things for the fun of doing them, where the spirit of play, love of adventure and the pleasure of following one’s inclinations dominate their activities.

A number of Bal Bhavans have been established in different States of India. Some of them are functioning under the aegis of the Bal Bhavan Society, Kotla Road, New Delhi.

The Jawahar Bal Bhavan in Anand Bhavan, Allahabad, has been established and run by the Fund out of its own resources and imparts informal education in various vocations which include Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Painting, Handicrafts, Woodcrafts, dance, drama, music, tabla, physical education and computer education.