“Progress of society through the total development of individuals is the avowed mission of Mitraniketan” – K.Viswanathan
Mitraniketan is a Gandhian based organization that has pioneered people centered rural development. It is Viswanathan’s vision to encourage community based education with holistic development of people and society. He believes humanistic growth is essential to survival in this rapidly changing world.
After his studies at Viswabharathi, Santiniketan, elsewhere in India, United States of America, United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries he formed this organization that focuses on the alternative education as a model for development, aimed especially at empowering the marginalized sections of society.
For five decades Mr. Viswanathan has launched trail-blazing projects that have gained international recognition.
Today Mitraniketan has grown in the form of a rural university, imparting development education to a large section of the disadvantaged people including tribal children, rural youth, marginal and small farmers, women, social workers, and rural artisans. Student volunteers and researchers from India and abroad visit regularly to learn, support and strengthen the Mitraniketan family.
The founder Viswanathan believes that, “We have a social responsibility to take care of the poor.” He demonstrates this, by working for equal opportunity and improving the quality of lives starting within the Mitraniketan community and joining hands across the globe.
It is Viswanathan’s ongoing vision that Mitraniketan should be used as a model for other communities and he believes Mitraniketan students will help shoulder the vision in the coming future.