History of CGSM Ltd.

The genesis and phenomenal growth and development of Vallabh Vidyanagar, the well planned and unique educational township situated in the heart of the Gujarat State, is stranger than fiction. Based on local talent and local resources it is a peerless example of self-reliance and dedication.

While working in Sindh (now in Pakistan) as Superintending Engineer in Sukkur Barrage, Yevala in Maharashtra and Ahmedabad Municipality, as a distinguished Chief Engineer, Shri BhailalbhaiDyabhai Patel, later warmly taken to their heart by the people of Gujarat as ‘Bhaikaka’, had earned reputation for his sense of values, discipline, dedication to duty and absolute integrity. Having been born and brought up in a family of strained financial resources in Sojitra village in Kheda district he had known what it meant to be poor. So, while in the government service he would pine for dedicating himself to the cause of rural India which was sunk in inertia, squalor and abject poverty. Once during a meeting between him and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who knew Bhaikaka as a man of practical bent of mind, unusual ability and character, Sardar advised him to go to the villages and work for their regeneration. Sardar’s wish was tantamount to a command to him. Bhaikaka’s irresistible desire to improve the lot of the poor villagers coupled with Sardar’s advice or command impelled him to take early retirement from the service. He saw that the most potent instrument to improve the subhuman life of villagers was to bring higher learning to their very doorstep and thus the concept of establishing institutions of higher education started taking shape. He got in touch with Shri BhikhabhaiKuberbhai Patel, a dedicated and farsighted educationist, fired by the same ideal. He had played a pivotal role in the establishment of Charotar Education Society in Anand and Narmada Kelavani Mandal at Shuklateerth.

Exemplary Self-reliance

The founders decided to establish two institutions – Charutar Vidya Mandal and Charotar Gramoddhar Sahkari Mandal. The former was to be devoted to the cause of education, that is, establishing colleges and schools and the latter meant to produce the building materials for educational institutions and residential quarters. They were registered on August 10, 1945 and September 7, 1945, respectively.

Bhaikaka and Bhikhabhai came to reside in the wilderness in an improvised residence – a hut measuring 8 ft and 10 ft on March 3, 1946. They chose a mango tree and installed themselves under it, in the divine presence of Lord Brahma, the Super Creator, dreaming, planning, breaking a new ground, organizing, getting things done and resolving snarls to plant a city of education far from the maddening hustle and bustle of cities. It merits a special mention here that Bhaikaka, the Patriarch of Mango Tree, as he was then called, despised the idea of borrowing know-how and do-how from anywhere. His indomitable faith in the local human material, though inexperienced, propelled him to bake bricks for the buildings locally. He established building material units – workshop and foundry, cement pipe factory, tiles factory, rubber factory and prestressed concrete factory to produce, in addition to bricks, lime, timber doors and windows, flooring tiles, hume pipes and various concrete products under the ages of Charotar Gramoddhar Sahkari Mandal Ltd., The materials thus produced worked out cheaper than in the market and in addition, provided employment to the local people. It is difficult to resist the temptation of recalling here that Bhaikaka invited a Harijan to inaugurate the brick-kiln, a Muslim mechanic to lay the foundation of the workshop and foundry and a Brahmin to lay the first brick of the V. P. Science College ! A printing press named as Gramoddhar Printing Press for printing handbills, booklets, books, research journals and question papers was also set up.

In 1950 Charotar Gramoddhar Sahkari Mandal Ltd., Vallabh Vidyanagar started its waterworks for supplying water to nearly 100 customers four times a day at the rate of Rs.3/- per month gradually the number of customers increased and also the infrastructure. The present position starts as follows:

It merits a special mention that Charotar Gramoddhar Sahkari Mandal Ltd., Vallabh Vidyanagar totally self-reliant in the sense that it did not receive any financial help whatsoever (grants) from state government and the local panchayat. Moreover it is the basic duty of local government body to supply water to the public of Vallabh Vidyanagar. Subsequently CGSM Ltd handover the water works department to Vallabh Vidyanagar Nagar Palika from 01st April, 2016.

The Mandal is having four pole factories situated at Gondal (Saurashtra), Siddhpur (N.G.), Kalol (N.G.) and Vallabh Vidyanagar. We are pioneers in supplying P.S.C. Poles to GEB and now known as Madhya Gujarat Vij Co. Ltd., Uttar Gujarat Vij Co. Ltd., Paschim Gujarat Vij Co. Ltd., since 1950. We are supplying poles in huge quantity.

The Mandal was running printing press with latest technology and now handed over to Charutar Vidya Mandal from 01st January,2020. The mandal is running a Petrol pump since 1950 under the dealership of H.P.C.L. providing pure fuel to every customer.

Thus, the mandal is serving the society by providing employment to the people of rural area and serving the nation with its small portion to strengthen its economic development at large.