The Bapu Ashram that touches the heart!
·
Dr. Rajendra Buradikatti
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
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
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.
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.
*****
