The Book
In 1982, Amit Mohindra won a scholarship to attend the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (now known as UWC-USA) in New Mexico. His father, Captain Raj Mohindra, learned that Lord Mountbatten co-founded the UWC movement. Raj had served as a midshipman on Mountbatten’s flagship HMS GAMBIA in the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet from 1953-1954. He worked with the UWC International Office (UWC-IO) on scholarships for Indian students.
The following year, the UWC-IO disbanded the Indian National Committee (INC) and appointed Raj as the UWC Honorary Secretary-General in India. He was asked to run the UWC selections for that year, develop new selection procedures, and raise a new Indian National Committee. Inspired by his former commanding officer’s dream of a UWC in India (Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India), Raj made it his life’s mission to establish a UWC in India.
From 1983 to 1997, Raj undertook one of the most remarkable acts of educational institution-building in modern India. Against bureaucratic intransigence and political intrigue and at considerable personal sacrifice, Raj secured the blessing of the United World College movement, navigated the Governments of India and Maharashtra for approvals, found a transformational sponsor in the illustrious Mahindra family, and assembled an architect, a builder, and a founding community of faculty, staff, and students from over 50 countries.
Raj served as the Founding Chief Executive of the Mahindra UWC of India (MUWCI), inaugurated by Queen Noor of Jordan, UWC President, in November 1997. Having accomplished his mission, Raj left the UWC Movement when the pioneering class graduated in 1999.
This is the story of the founding of the Mahindra UWC of India (MUWCI). Amit is grateful for the encouragement and support of the Mahindra family. The book will be published in 2027, in time for the 30th anniversary of MUWCI’s founding.
About the author
Amit Mohindra is a graduate of UWC-USA’s pioneering Class of 1984. He watched his father's extraordinary fourteen-year journey to establish a United World College in India, and was present at the 1997 inauguration to see his father’s mission accomplished.
When Amit visited MUWCI in 2018, he was overwhelmed by how the institution had blossomed and by the heartwarming gratitude and affection showered on Raj (who accompanied him - it was his first visit since he left the UWC in 1999) by everyone present who had worked with Raj in the early days. The villagers of Khubavali learned that he was on campus and insisted that he come down to be felicitated.
Amit decided it was time for Raj to receive recognition for his accomplishments and began writing a book about Raj’s extraordinary journey. Raj had not only brought the UWC to India but also secured recognition for the International Baccalaureate (IB). Since the entire Indian UWC project was initially run from the Mohindra household and thanks to Raj’s meticulous record-keeping, there was a trove of archival material to work with.
Amit is an analytics and AI leader, coach, and educator and has worked as a researcher, consultant, and executive for organisations such as Apple, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and The World Bank. Originally trained as an electrical engineer and labour economist, Amit went back to school late in life and earned a doctorate in education, inspired by his parents.
Amit has endowed the Captain Raj and Sudesh Mohindra Award at UWC-USA, presented annually to a staff or faculty member whose spirited service of the UWC mission and values are reflected in their journeys of struggle and achievement.
Amit and his wife, Gauri Goyal, live on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, United States. He visits Raj (now 92) and Sudesh in Mumbai, India, frequently.
"This is not just my father's story. It is the story of everyone who believed that education could be a force for something larger — and who gave years of their lives to prove it."
Reserve your copy
The book is in progress. Leave your details, and we'll notify you when it's available.