HINDUSTAN TIMES,NEW DELHI MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 09

Bharat darshan & ’s ashrams

Before arriving in India, Gandhi, Kasturba and their friend Hermann In Madras city, Kallenbach had travelled from South hero’s welcome, as GandhiTamils formedreceived a a Africa to England, as Gandhi was keen large part of Gandhi's support base in to meet his mentor, Gopalkrishna South Africa. Years later in 1965, Gokhale. While en route, the First World describing this April 1915 visit, A.S. War broke out. Stranded in Vichy, Iyengar wrote in the Indian Review, the Gokhale asked his friend Sarojini Naidu, Gandhis stepped out of the crowded who was in London at the time, to third class (compartment) with no posh welcome the Gandhis on his behalf. Ten travel trunks but bundles of old clothes, days later, the Gandhis were thrown a like a family of peasants. A large crowd reception at Hotel Cecil. Lala Lajpat Rai had gathered to greet them with cheers and Muhammad Ali Jinnah were present of “Long live Mr and Mrs Gandhi”.

n MK Gandhi (fifth from left) flanked by to his right, and Gopalkrishna Gokhale to his left, Durban, South Africa, 1912. COURTESY .

In May 1915, Gandhi inaugurated the Gandhi visited Kochrab ashram. A constitution was In March 1915, drafted, where inmates were asked to Rangoon, a city in what is now take vows of truth, non violence and to Myanmar. He went to meet a fellow commit to the abolition of untouchabili student from his London days, ty. In September, Gandhi invited a lower- Pranjivan Mehta, who was also a caste family (Dadibehn, Dudhabhai and prosperous jeweller and had financed their daughter, Laxmi) to join — a move some of Gandhi’s political work in that cost them their patron, Mangaldas South Africa. Mehta had long asked Girdhardas, and earned them a new Gandhi to return to India, “the one, Ambalal Sarabhai. Two years later, motherland”. He was the first to use the ashram moved base to the honorific “Mahatma” for Gandhi. Gandhi received a hero’s welcome here

    1915 January February March April May June July August September October November December1916 January February

          1916: Bombay, MK Gandhi, Poona, Gandhi and Santiniketan, Haridwar, Madras Presidency, Poona,   Attended the 1916: Gandhi attended the founding Kasturba reached Kasturba were in Gandhi and Tagore The Kumbh mela was Through late April and Gandhi Gandhi was annual session Gandhi spent ceremony of Banaras Hindu Bombay on ‘SS Arabia’, Santiniketan in likely met for the first on when Gandhi early May, Gandhi received the largely in of the Indian the month University, where he delivered on January 9, 1915; a Bengal, where the time on March 6. The reached Haridwar. He travelled across many Kaiser-i-Hind in National travelling a lecture attended by the cheering crowd greeted Nobel laureate duo had certainly was not impressed places including medal, these months, Congress, and around Viceroy Lord Hardinge, the them at the port. He Rabindranath Tagore heard of each other, with the crowds, the Tranquebar (Tharangam- awarded by and travelled moved a , maharaja of Darbhanga, met Gopalkrishna had built a rural and in later years, general untidiness, and badi), Nellore and the Empire for occasionally to resolution visiting among other princes, the Gokhale, and gave his settlement, when the Gandhi often turned the use of marijuana by Mayavaram among others. his ambulance Bombay and deploring the Amalsad, Commissioner of Banaras, and first interview to the news of Gopalkrishna to Tagore for sadhus. He did, He saw plays in Telugu, other high ranking officials of services in the Poona, to treatment of Khakhwada, Indian press. On January Gokhale’s death, on affirming certain however, meet Swami attended conferences and the Empire, besides social Anglo-Boer deliver a lecture Indians in Gadat, 12, a large party was held February 19, reached political decisions. Shraddhanand who ran met students. In a letter reformers like Annie Besant at Petit family house, them. Gokhale was Tagore even once a gurukul in Kangra, that he wrote to Albert war on indentured South Africa Kachholi, and Madan Mohan Malaviya. attended by the city’s Gandhi’s mentor, and chastised Gandhi for and came away West, who had helped him (1899-1902), labour, or to Navsari, Bavla, He made his first public prominent residents. At his biggest supporter saying that an impressed. In Haridwar, set up Phoenix Settlement where Gandhi meet the and Nadiad speech after returning to another meeting in India. The couple earthquake that hit he took an oath that in South Africa, he said, had raised a trustees of the India, and offended everyone organised by the Gurjar went to Poona to Bihar was because of while in India, he “India continues to satisfy corps South African — the princes, the British, Sabha to welcome pay their respects, the sins of Hindus would not eat more my aspirations. I see much comprising Relief Fund and even Annie Beasant — Gandhi, Jinnah delivered and stayed for who practised than five things during to dishearten me and I see Natal Indians but the students, who the main speech a week untouchability 24 hours much to encourage me.” cheered him on.

S A B A R M AT I S O D E P U R An archival treasure on Gandhi An experiment in ,

Paramita Ghosh n [email protected] and Gandhi’s eastern base

t the in Ahmeda- Snigdhendu Bhattacharya rate an exhibition of khadi products, and A bad today, various interests meet: n [email protected] stayed several times. He camped here in the research, tourism, employment, and, immediate aftermath of the riots in Kolkata sometimes, romance. Hriday Kunj, a pris- dusty white linen covers the nearly in 1946, and from here he started for his tour tine-white hut, the home of Gandhi and his A century-old bed on which Mahatma of riot-torn Noakhali in what is now Bangla- wife, Kasturba, for many years is, of course, Gandhi once slept. The floor is wet and desh. It was here that the historic, three-day the key attraction for visitors. Who did we the walls damp. Next to the bed stands a discussion between Gandhi and Netaji Sub- meet here today? Hiten Patel, a Surat-based charka in a glass box, on a wooden table. The has Chandra Bose took place over the dead- businessman, posing before a charkha for iconic Khadi Pratishthan at Sodepur near lock in Congress’ functioning in 1939. The the benefit of his camera-wielding Japanese Kolkata was Gandhi’s base in eastern India discussions failed, Bose resigned as the Con- business partner; a batch of Fine Arts stu- between 1927 and 1947, when he intermit- gress’ president and launched Forward Bloc. dents from MS University of Baroda with n Pratima behn, a tently visited the state. The ashram today is in need of mainte- their sketch books, copying the shape of Gan- communicator at History hangs thick in the air of the Gan- nance. Water leaks from the roof. Weeds dhi’s work-desk; Yogesh Bhatt, a local, and the Sabarmati dhi ashram, as this place is known. A print of have covered the windows and large parts of n A charkha used his girlfriend, behind the Kunj, enjoying the ashram, explains a letter written by Gandhi in December 1928 the compound. “Common people do not visit by Mahatma scenery. aspects of adorns the wall next to the bed. It was this place. However, researchers come from Gandhi on The research done at its archives is a vital Gandhi’s life. addressed to Hemaprabha Dasgupta, wife of all over India and also from abroad. I guide display at the link between the ashram’s past and present. RAJ K RAJ/HT Satish Chandra Dasgupta, the founder of the them,” said Sankar Chakraborty, the care- Gandhi Bhavan “This is no more a residential ashram; it Khadi Pratishthan: “I shall try to treat Sode- taker, who renders voluntary service. (Hyderi Manzil) hasn’t been one since 1933 when Gandhi Prime Minister Jawaharalal Nehru, Mau- dom through non violent means,” said pur on the same footing as Sabarmati… I do in Kolkata, decided to disband it as so many of its inmates lana Abul Kalam Azad and poet Rabindra- Gandhi researcher, Dinabehn Patil. Ash- not wish to spoil Sodepur by carrying on where he spent were locked in British India jails,” says Kin- nath Tagore were hosted; Magan Niwas, the ramites had to commit to 12 rules such as experiments there on the line of Sabarmati. 25 days, nari Bhat, coordinator, archives and hut of the ashram manager, Maganlal Gan- truth telling, chastity (even if a couple were The existence of Sodepur is for the sake of including research centre. One of its key areas of work dhi, a relative of Gandhi; and the Gandhi married, one must not entertain carnal khadi, while that of Sabarmati is for experi- Independence has been the digitising of his writings, jour- Memorial Museum inaugurated in 1963 by thoughts for the other); and removal of ments in truth etc.,” the letter reads. Below Day, in 1947. nals and photos, besides creating virtual Nehru. It is housed in an iconic building untouchability. the text of the letter, photos of Gandhi at the SAMIR JANA/HT tours of places associated with Gandhi. designed by Charles Correa. The ashram, elaborates Nachiketa Desai, ashram are kept inside glass-lid boxes. The ashram’s main buildings are the Hri- Bolstered by his experience of ashram grandson of Gandhi’s close associate and sec- The adjacent, larger room is a gallery with day Kunj, the Vinoba-Mira Behn Kutir, the life in South Africa, Gandhi first set up an retary, , was a training photos from the freedom struggle. Most of the home of one of the first batch of ashramites, ashram in the Kochrab area of Ahmedabad, ground for building a new man. These rules items associated with Gandhi have been relo- social reformer , and, later, of which he later shifted to its present site on were meant to be the means by which an ordi- cated to the Gandhi Memorial Museum at Mira behn, Gandhi’s disciple; Upasana Man- the banks of the river Sabarmati. “The aim nary person could become political. “He Barackpore, except for the bed and charka. dir, an open-air prayer space; Nandini, was to build a training school for satyagra- wanted Ashramites to be the model and the The campus itself is no less iconic. Gandhi where guests, including leaders like former his dedicated to the cause of India’s free- ideal for people in public life.” first came here on January 2, 1927, to inaugu-