Gijubhai Badheka (1885-1939) was an important Indian educationist who gave special attention to children and their natural development. His educational ideas focused on freedom, play, stories, activities, experience, creativity and a supportive teacher-child relationship. This paper examines Gijubhai Badheka’s educational philosophy and explores its relevance to contemporary child-centred education. The study follows a qualitative, descriptive and analytical approach based on secondary sources, including books, research articles, educational documents and policy papers. The discussion focuses on his life and educational contributions, major aspects of his educational philosophy, its relationship with child-centred education, its relevance in contemporary education, and its connection with NEP 2020. The study finds that several of Gijubhai’s ideas remain relevant in the present educational context. His emphasis on play-based learning, active participation, experiential learning, creativity and holistic development has meaningful connections with contemporary child-centred approaches. The study also identifies similarities between his educational vision and several pedagogical ideas highlighted in NEP 2020. The paper concludes that revisiting Gijubhai’s philosophy can provide useful insights for developing joyful, supportive and child-sensitive learning environments.