25th anniversary of Bhuj earthquake: How Pune's Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana got over 1 lakh children back to school in 90 days

Just 12 hours after a magnitude of 7.7 An earthquake devastated Bhuj in Gujarat in 2001Shantilal Muttha, leader of the Pune-based Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, had already developed a plan for temporary shelters in the affected areas.

Muttha, 71, vividly remembers how teams were quickly mobilized to build semi-permanent structures, allowing children to resume their studies a month after the disaster. This Republic Day, January 26, marks the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

“We realized that taking care of children was especially important,” Muttha said as he recalled how his teams included children (who were supported by the Sanghatana during the Killari-Latur earthquake) to immediately travel to Bhuj and help in the relief work.

“Our survey showed that 515 schools had collapsed. We went to the affected areas and provided food, clothing and medicine to all those affected. However, to ensure that students could resume their studies, we decided to build semi-permanent structures and bring them back to school,” Muttha told The indian express. Later, Gujarat Education Minister Anandiben Patel (now Governor of Uttar Pradesh) was informed about this initiative.

The earthquake affected several areas of the Kutch region, particularly the tehsils of Bhuj, Bhachau and Anjar. Muttha said at the time that he was vice-president of the Road Builders and Developers Association. Pune and was able to mobilize engineers, architects and contractors from different districts of Maharashtra.

“We used prefabricated structures for quick construction. A standard design for the schools was developed, foundations were laid and prefabricated structures were constructed using strong Siporex blocks. Corrugated sheets sourced from Jalgaon were used to reduce heat,” Muttha said.

These semi-school structures were designed and handed over to the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee three months after the earthquake. “We were able to accommodate 1.20 lakh affected students in these schools which were set up in the 368 semi-permanent structures,” Muthha recalled.

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2005 Jammu and Kashmir earthquake

While these structures were used for school purposes for at least five years, Muttha said they later proved invaluable as shelters during another earthquake. Remembering the October 2005 earthquake that hit jammu and Kashmir and caused massive devastation and loss of life, Muttha said, the then Union Home Minister asked him to set up similar shelters in the region.

The National Disaster Management Authority and the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir also encouraged Muttha and his team to take up the project. Soon after, a technical assessment was carried out to check whether the shelters were suitable for the region and materials were transported from Gandhidham to Kashmir in four special trains.

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a senior editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, he is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism on health, science, environment and research developments. She also has a keen interest in covering women’s issues. Professional Background Education: Gold Medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and Masters in Literature. Author: She is the author of the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist of the WHO. Key Focus: Combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human interest narratives. Awards and Recognitions Anuradha has won several awards including Press Council of India National Award for Excellence in Journalism in Gender Based Reporting Category in 2019 and Laadli Media Award (Gender Sensitivity -2024). She received the Lokmat Journalism Award (Gender Category-2022) and was also shortlisted for the RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism-2021. Her first book, At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the inaugural Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization, was also nominated in the People’s Choice category of the JK Paper AUTHER Awards. She has also held competitive fellowships including Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious India 2025 cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Featured Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer and Specialty Healthcare “Tata Memorial finds a way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells” (November 26, 2025): Report on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, Diet and Purpose; How a 97-Year-Old Professor Challenges Aging” (November 15, 2025) Report on Professor Gururaj Mutalik, the first head of department at Pune’s BJ Government Medical College, who at 97 attributes his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose 2. Environmental health (“Breathless” series. Pune”) Prolonged exposure to even “moderate” air causes chronic heart, lung and kidney problems” (November 26, 2025) – Part of a research series highlighting that even “safe” pollution levels are harmful to vital organs. “For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was a 6-8% increase in medicine sales” (November 23, 2025) – Using commercial data to demonstrate the direct link between air quality and respiratory diseases in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News “They Didn’t Let Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease Stop Them From Traveling” (December 22, 2025) – A collaborative article featuring survivors sharing practical tips for traveling with chronic illnesses. At age 17, his blood pressure shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study points out why hypertension in children and adolescents doubled between 2000 and 2020” (November 12, 2025) – a report that focuses on a 17-year-old’s hypertensive crisis and reflects the growing global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Infrastructure and Recognition To promote science and communication and gender diversity: IUCAA professor featured in Nature” (November 25, 2025): Covers global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe” (December 3, 2025): A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe had only 1.5 billion years. , one of the first to be seen so far Signature Beat: Health, Science and Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her reporting on COVID-19, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed information on the trials of Covishield and Covaxin. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, and often profiles women researchers who are breaking the “leaky pipeline” in STEM fields. health experts from the institutions.
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