Jeetendrabhai Bhatt or Jeetubhai , as he is fondly known, was born on 29th March, 1927 in a village near Limbdi in Surendranagar District of Gujarat. Though he is 89 years old, he is still young at heart. He recalls his days with Shishukunj with such ease as if it all happened just yesterday; and can talk about them for hours at a time.
His association with Shishukunj that started with his childhood days at “Baalkan ji bari”, Karachi, still continues as a trustee of Shishukunj Vidyalaya, Dhrangadhra that was established by him in early 1950s. His early education at Sharda Mandir, Karachi, and the influence of a great teacher and story –teller, Harjivanbhai Somaiya, inspired him and Indubhai to start Shishukunj Sunday activity centre in Karachi.
After his graduation, Jeetubhai worked as Rural Development Officer in the newly independent India. As an officer he worked a lot for development and rights of farmers & infrastructure development in villages. Later he joined politics and remained an active politician for 30 years. He was also a Member of Parliament from Surendranagar. Jeetubhai takes great pride in stating that he has never given or taken any bribe in his political career.
After 19 years of completing his graduation he appeared for the examination of Charted Accountancy and became a certified Charted Accountant in 1972. It is interesting to note that Jeetubhai’s father was also a CA, and his son is also a CA.
Alongside his work as a CA & a politician, he was also actively involved with Shishukunj Vidyalaya. He also established Law College, Art & Commerce College and Home Science College for girls. He has worked a lot for creating awareness about education.
Jeetubhai believes that to today’s children are burdened with the pressures of education and technology. They are unable to enjoy the life freely. According to him, Shishukunj is an organization for overall development of children.
Jeetubhai is a living example of the values that Shishukunj believes in. The ideas of discipline, cleanliness and values that Jeetubhai & Indubhai adopted from Sharda Mandir were not only passed on to Shishukunj but also in their respective families. Shishukunj salutes Jeetubhai for his zeal, energy, spirit, contribution and inspiration to the society.
