Gandhigiri keeps ashram alive
Ahmedabad: More than 75 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi left the Satyagraha Ashram at Sabarmati in Gujarat for the famous Dandi march, never to return.
But he left behind a priceless collection of letters, documents and photographs that still attract people from world over.
And while the rest of the world may be keen to know more about Gandhi, those entrusted with preserving his legacy, seem to have forgotten Gandhi.
For many like the Ahemdabad-based IT professional Ranjit Rao, it took a cinematic dose of Lage Raho Munnabhai to make him trudge out on a holiday to the corridors of Hridaykunj – the place Mahatma Gandhi lived in for over a decade.
“The problem with the youth is that they are just taught Gandhian thought. I must confess though that it was the movie that brought me here. I am actually awestruck with this place. It has a soothing, a tranquilising effect,â says Rao.
Popular culture may have boosted tourist interest in the Sabarmati’s Ashram, but it has always been a haven for scholars and historians, thanks to the large compilation Gandhi goodies.
But itâs not just about the archives. Locals say Gandhi’s 12-year stay here has left an indelible mark on the place.
“There is a presence in the ashram, it provides peace and calm. Otherwise why would everybody rush to the ashram in times of a crisis,â says Gandhian scholar Dr Tridip Suhrud.
Ironically, while visitor interest is at a high, the very caretakers of history seem to have forgotten Gandhi in his hometown.
As people from all over the world gathered in South Africa last fortnight to mark 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha, there was not one ceremony, or even a prayer to mark the event at the Ashram.
âItâs extremely sad that no programme has been organised. Perhaps no one even remembers the centenary,” says President of NGO Gandhi Sen, Dhimant Padhiya.
But for the many people who have forgotten or are yet to discover this historical repository, there are many who come to walk its austere halls.
Over a million people visit the Sabarmati Ashram every year, a testimony to the fact that Gandhi still lives through his teachings and his writings.