Dr. Jai Dev

Dr. Jai Dev was born on April 1, 1926, and graduated in medicine from Gurukul Kangri, Haridwar. After a brief private practice, he founded Lakshmi Medical Hall (LMH), a retail outlet for medicines in Ambala. Over the years, LMH progressed from retail to distribution of medicines and became a well-known name in Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh. His pioneering efforts have resulted in Ambala becoming a center for pharmaceutical distribution.

He is an inspiration for all; starting from modest beginnings, he built a successful business and decided to give back to society. He always had a philanthropic bent and was a very compassionate human being. He has led various socially motivated organizations like Sangeetalok (an organization that promotes classical Indian music), the Gandhi Peace Foundation, the Rotary Club of Ambala, etc. For over 25 years, he had been on the executive board of various educational institutions in Ambala, including Arya Girls College, Janta Vidya Sabha, DAV Public School, and Rotary School for the Deaf (he had been the school’s secretary since its inception in 1985). He had also been on the Court (the highest governing body) of Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar. Dr. Jai Dev has been conferred with various district and state-level awards.

In 2002, he founded the Ambala College of Engineering and Applied Research. He was also the President of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (1995–97). He was awarded the “Service Above Self Award” by Rotary International, a rare honor bestowed upon only 150 Rotarians worldwide. His support had been instrumental in setting up the Rotary Ambala Cancer and General Hospital.

Dr. Jai Dev dreamed of ensuring excellent education reaches the masses of rural Ambala, with which the journey of Samanvit Siksha Kendra (SSK) was initiated. At SSK, to make sure that high-quality education is reaching the masses, we follow level-based learning over grade-based promotion to verify the continuous holistic development of the child. With Dr. Jai Dev’s uninterrupted support and presence, we made the dream of quality education for the rural masses come true.

Dr. Jai Dev was the founder of the Shri Ram Swarup Memorial Trust. With profound grief, our beloved modest leader and chairman left for his onward journey on November 15, 2023, at 6.50 a.m. He leaves behind a legacy of service above self for all of us to follow.

The District Governor of the Rotary Club paid a visit

District Governor Mr. Arun Kumar Mongia of Rotary Club District 3080 visited the Pavitradham Ambala Rotary School for the Deaf. He was amazed to see the Pavitradham operating so well. He interacted with the management team and faculty of the school. Students at the school welcomed him by doing a tilak, and then he looked around the school and the services provided to the students. Some students also performed a dance. Governor Mr. Mongia was amazed at how hearing-impaired kids who could not even listen to the music performed all the beats of the song accurately.

We, the team of Pavitradham, thank District Governor Mr. Mongia for paying a visit to Pavitradham and boosting the morale of the students and faculty.

Dr. Ashawant Gupta, President (Rotary Welfare Society for Deaf)

Dr. Gupta is the president of Rotary Welfare Society for Deaf. He has over 20 years of experience in Industry, Research, and Teaching. He received BE degree in Electrical Engineering from MSRIT, Bangalore in 1989 and MS and Ph.D. degree in 1991 and 1997, respectively, both in Microelectronics, from Santa Clara University, California, USA, and wrote an award winning Master’s Thesis (Ross Tucker Master’s Memorial Award in 1991) from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. He has published and presented over 20 papers in international journals and conferences. Before joining mdi, Dr. Gupta worked as a Researcher/Engineer at Hitachi Central Research Laboratory, Kokubunji, Tokyo, Japan and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Santa Clara, California, USA.

Mrs. Shally Gupta, Director

Mrs. Shally Gupta was born into a reputed trading family in Ambala City. She received a bachelor’s degree from MDSD Girls’ College, Ambala City, and a master’s in English from Kurukshetra University. In 1995, she married Dr. Ashawant Gupta and they lived in California, USA, for a couple of years before returning to their hometown. They now live in an extended joint family with uncles, aunts, cousins, and their families.

They have two children. Daughter Abheepsa, who did her Bachelor of Technology in Biotech Engineering from Ambala College of Engineering and Applied Research (ACE), also has a master’s degree in stem cells from the University of Minnesota, USA. After graduating with a master’s degree, she worked for a biotech company in California, USA, for a couple of years. Presently, Abheepsa has returned to India and is involved in the family business. Son Samarpan is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing with a specialized track in Advertising Strategies at Texas A&M University, USA.

Mrs. Gupta, along with her children, keenly participates in various social service projects. From 2011 to 2015, she was actively involved in the India Against Corruption movement. She also assists her husband in the management of the Rotary Ambala Cancer and General Hospital.

Mrs. Gupta is a past president of Inner Wheel Club Ambala and was declared Golden President of the District. Her pet project is to improve the standard of education in government schools. She spends time at a local government school. She also teaches needy students at home in the evening; presently, she has over 20 students studying.

As the Director of Pavitradham Rotary School for the Deaf, Mrs. Gupta has learned basic sign language and teaches alphabets and numbers to hearing-impaired children.

CA A.D Gandhi, Finance Secretary

CA A.D Gandhi is the senior most Chartered Accountant in Ambala. He is associated with a large number of social, and professional organizations. He is associated with our school since its inception and has been taking a special interest in grooming and mentoring young students to become successful chartered accountants.

Hearing Screening and Distribution of Hearing Aids Camp was organized on March 30-31, 2021

On Day 1 of the Hearing Screening and distribution of Hearing Aids camp: Approximately 100 persons including the students of Rotary School for Deaf (Pavitradham) got Hearing Aids free of cost.

On Day 2 of Hearing Screening and distribution of Hearing Aids Camp: Approximately 150 patients with hearing problems were given hearing aids free of cost.

Out of approximately 300 registrations, which were there for the Hearing Screening tests. 251 patients were provided hearing aids free of cost and the rest were screened and tested. It was mentioned in their report that they don’t require Hearing Aid.

In Collaboration with:

ALI YAVAR JUNG NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SPEECH AND HEARING DISABILITIES