The Bapu Ashram that touches the heart!

The Bapu Ashram that touches the heart!

·         Dr. Rajendra Buradikatti

In recent times, the celebrations of many great personalities’ birth anniversaries have sadly been reduced to mere “ritualistic photo-ops.” As someone who has always actively and enthusiastically participated in such events—especially those commemorating national heroes—I’ve lately started feeling a sense of discomfort with how superficial these celebrations have become.

Once, I woke up early and travelled over 25 km to attend a program marking the birth anniversary of a great figure. What did I witness? Just a handful of people standing next to a garlanded photo, clicking pictures. The entire "event" lasted all of five minutes—perhaps just enough for someone to file a report with photos. I couldn’t help but wonder: was it really worth coming all this way?

This made me apprehensive about this year’s Gandhi Jayanti celebrations. Already, Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti, which falls during school holidays, has become a half-hearted, uninspiring affair. At the very least, such commemorations in schools and colleges should be meaningful. But this year, thanks to a shift in the Dussehra vacation schedule in Karnataka, Gandhi Jayanti fell during the school holidays, so there were no students around. And honestly, we haven’t yet cultivated a culture where children are self-motivated enough to show up on holidays for such important occasions.

And if that’s the situation with students, teachers are a whole different story. If participation were made optional, I suspect very few would attend. With all this in mind, I yearned to attend at least one celebration each year that was truly meaningful. So I decided to observe this Gandhi Jayanti not just anywhere, but right at his home and ashram in Gujarat.

My Travel Plan to Gujarat

The plan was ambitious but heartfelt: visit the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar (in memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel), the holy city of Dwarka, Porbandar (Gandhiji and Kasturba's birthplace), Somnath temple, and most importantly, participate in Gandhi Jayanti celebrations at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad—where Gandhiji spent a significant part of his public life.

Though I initially planned to visit Ekta Nagar first, I found that buses from Ahmedabad to Ekta Nagar only run on Sundays. So I reshuffled my itinerary. I first travelled to Dwarka, then Porbandar, visited Somnath, and finally took a night train to Gandhinagar, reaching there early morning on October 2nd. I had dedicated two days to Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad: one day for sightseeing, and October 2nd solely for Sabarmati Ashram and the Gandhi Jayanti event.

An Authentic and Simple Gandhi Jayanti

On October 2nd morning, I checked the Mahatma Gandhi Trust’s website for event details. A note in Gujarati mentioned that a multi-faith prayer would begin at 8:15 AM, followed by speeches by invited guests. I was staying near Ahmedabad railway station, about 6 km from the Ashram. Since taking the metro required some changes and detours, I hired an auto and reached the Ashram right on time.

As soon as I saw the name board—Sabarmati Ashram—a wave of emotion swept over me. As I got off the auto at the gate, I noticed several dignitaries arriving as well. Inside, a clear map of the Ashram layout showed all the major sections. I followed the directions to Hriday Kunj, the house where Gandhiji lived.

By the time I arrived, Hriday Kunj was already decked out for the celebration. The house was simple—open, semi-circular, red-tiled. Minimal walls. Apart from the kitchen, Kasturba’s room, and a room for public meetings, the rest of the house was open space. In front of the house was a large courtyard covered with green mats. Students from a local school sat cross-legged in neat rows. Behind them were chairs for the elderly and those unable to sit on the ground.

At exactly 8:30 AM, the multi-faith prayer began. An Islamic cleric recited verses from the Quran. A woman read verses from the Bhagavad Gita. Gandhiji's favorite bhajans—Vaishnav Jan To, Raghupati Raghava, … Sabko Sanmati De Bhagwan were sung. While the bhajans were being sung, students symbolically spun thread on charkhas, embodying Gandhiji's belief that devotion should not only be about ears and tongues—but hands and actions too.

The keynote speaker, a senior Gandhian, addressed the children (in Gujarati, which I partially understood) about the values of truth and non-violence, and the horrors of war. He used the story of a Japanese boy affected by the Hiroshima bombing to drive the point home. This speech taught me an important lesson: when speaking publicly, the goal should not be to display our knowledge but to communicate meaningfully at the audience’s level.

The event was remarkably simple and effective. There were no unnecessary speeches, no lengthy introductions, no overcrowded stage full of "VIPs." The organizer welcomed and thanked the speaker in a single line—truly a "small and beautiful" event.

`Vinoba-Meera’ Cottage

After the event, I strolled through the Ashram. Nearby was a small cottage once inhabited by Vinoba Bhave and Madeleine Slade (Meera Behn), both devoted followers of Gandhi. Vinoba Bhave, born in Maharashtra in 1895, was a polyglot and leader of the Bhoodan movement. He admired Kannada deeply, once calling it the “queen of scripts.”

Madeleine Slade, born in England in 1892, was inspired by Gandhian philosophy, came to India in 1925, and lived here for 34 years. She participated in India’s freedom movement and was renamed Meera Behn by Gandhi. She lived in this cottage between 1925 and 1933. The Ashram honors this space with both names—“Meera Cottage” and “Vinoba Cottage.”

Prayer Ground, Guesthouse & Bapu’s Statue

Opposite this cottage is the Ashram’s prayer ground—an open, rectangular platform where residents gathered for morning and evening prayers. Likely, Gandhiji sat at the center while others sat before him on the ground. Further ahead stood the simple guesthouse—also red-tiled and semi-circular, with only basic living facilities. It was locked when I visited, so I couldn’t go inside.

Nearby, a serene statue of Gandhiji in meditative posture stood on a grassy mound. I offered my silent prayers there, asking only this: “In this society plagued by deceit, cruelty, and violence, may people once again recognize the value of truth, honesty, and non-violence.”

Back to Hriday Kunj

Now that the program was over, I re-entered Hriday Kunj. There were three main rooms: a kitchen with basic utensils, Kasturba’s small bedroom, and Gandhiji’s public meeting room and hall completely open, as earlier described. There was no private bedroom for the couple—perhaps a surprising fact to some. But anyone who knows Gandhiji’s life wouldn’t question this. His married life was spiritually transformed long before he even reached the typical age for conjugal life.

In Gandhiji’s public room, a white mat and a low writing desk were enclosed with railings to preserve them from damage. As I sat inside quietly, a young Japanese couple entered. Their presence reminded me that even as some forces within India try to "kill" Gandhiji’s ideals, there are others around the world who are striving to nurture them.

The Museum & Residences

Next, I visited the museum—filled with photographs, letters, and accounts of Gandhiji’s public life and various movements. Notably, unlike many museums dedicated to great figures, there were hardly any personal possessions here—perhaps because Gandhiji himself believed in “non-possession.” Nearby was another building—the residential quarters for temporary Ashram residents. It was a single large hall, divided by curtains. Old charkhas and spinning wheels were displayed here.

A Bookstore for All Languages

Then came the highlight for any reader—the Ashram bookstore. Here, nearly every book written by or about Gandhi was available—in multiple Indian and foreign languages. English dominated the shelves, but Gandhi’s autobiography My Experiments with Truth was available in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Oriya, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, and more. The Kannada translation, done by the famous author Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar (a Gandhian himself), was also available—published by the Navjeevan Trust of Ahmedabad.

There were also souvenirs: mugs with Gandhi’s glasses, keychains, pens, T-shirts with Charkha prints, flags, and more. Like the saying “No one returns from a fair without a souvenir”, most visitors pick up at least something. I bought a few pens and keychains for friends.

Khadi Store & Final Thoughts

Next to the bookstore was the Khadi store—with quality garments but no specific “Gandhi” branding. It would’ve been nice to see a small emblem or print connecting the clothes to the Ashram. With this, I had seen almost all the sections of the Gandhi Ashram. It was around 12 noon. I thought of returning to my room, taking some rest, and then exploring more places in the evening via the Ahmedabad metro. So, I sat for a while under a tree to rest and then stood up to leave the ashram.

The ashram, in the truest sense, was indeed an “ashram.” The large trees growing throughout the premises provided cool shade to visitors, protecting them from the sun. Right beside it, the quietly flowing Sabarmati River added a serene beauty to the entire ashram.

An Ashram that doesn’t do injustice to Kannada!

Just before leaving, a wide board caught my attention. It was a multilingual name board where the name “Sabarmati Ashram” was written in nearly all official languages of India. I have seen such multilingual boards in various parts of the country. Normally, in places where people from different regions visit, names are written in English, Hindi, and the local language. But some places go a step further and display the names in all the official Indian languages.

When this happens, sometimes there's a kind of "politics" involved — some languages are included, while others are left out. This subtly reflects the attitudes and sentiments of the organizers towards those languages.

To give an example — during my recent visit to the famous Ram Mandir area in Ayodhya, I observed many such boards. Places like the Sarayu River, where the Sarayu Aarti is performed, and many other tourist spots had boards written in several Indian languages. It's natural human behavior for a visitor to look for their own language on such boards. If all other languages are there but not theirs, it causes a slight disappointment — again, a very natural reaction.

In Ayodhya, although most South Indian languages were present on the boards, Kannada alone was not included. I felt disappointed then. However, in Gandhiji’s Sabarmati Ashram, I didn’t experience that kind of hurt. In the multilingual board here, my beloved Kannada language was given due respect and dignity. It was featured prominently among the first few names. It stood tall, equal among the other languages. This added to my happiness and made my visit to the Ashram even more fulfilling — I need not say it separately.

*****

Dr. Rajendra Buradikatti

buradikatti@gmail.com