Like all Gandhi enthusiasts, I always harboured an innate desire to visit the places where the Mahatma set his foot on. So, when I got the opportunity to visit the Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, it was more than a pilgrimage for me. Located beside the Sabarmati river the ashram, built by Gandhi in 1917, attained the stature of a pilgrimage after he left it on March 12, 1930. Today, it attracts thousands of tourists from both abroad and across the country. Built on the lines of Tolstoy Farm and Phoenix Ashram, the self-reliant ashram thrived on the revival of cottage industry.

As you enter the small gate leading to the ashram you are in for a pleasant surprise with green trees, chirping birds and tiny squirrels moving about in glee. You forget the dusty and sultry heat of the ashram road that you have left behind just a moment ago. Look to your left and you can see the three monkeys of Gandhi, sitting amidst the sprawling green lawns and imploring you not to ‘see’, ‘hear’ and ‘talk’ evil.

An unknown sense of tranquillity would prevail over you as you enter the Gandhi memorial museum. Here you would come across many Gandhi lovers who would pore over the memorabilia stocked with great love and care. The museum would offer you invaluable information on Gandhi’s life of 15 years from the time of his returning to India till the time he left for the ‘salt march’ popularly known as the Dandi March. All the major incidents are covered in the form of original documents, photographs, paintings, write-ups and models, etc. There is ample information about the Champaran Satyagrah, founding of the Navjivan Press, boycott of foreign clothes, Chauri Chaura, Satyagraha for the temple entry of untouchables and many more.

Then there is the library of Gandhian literature — a treasure trove indeed for one and all. Durgesh Trivedi, the librarian informed: “You can be a part of our library at a nominal cost of Rs 300. Many researchers on Gandhi across the world have benefited from our archive.” There is also a small counter near the library where you can purchase books and innumerable souvenirs related to Gandhi and the ashram. Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography My Experiments with Truth is the all time favourite with the visitors. The book has versions in 14 Indian languages.

My personal favourite is the photo gallery that says ‘My life is my message’. You cannot help but lose yourself in the aura of the place. The gallery is displayed in seven parts, each representing a significant phase of Gandhi’s life — incidents from his childhood, foot march in New Castle, Quit India Movement, house arrest and many more.

The Hridaykunj, as the name indicates, was the epicentre of activities in the ashram. This is where Gandhi lived from 1919 to 1930. You can get a glimpse of Gandhi’s room where the Mahatma met many national and international leaders and took some of the most important decisions that changed the pulse of the country forever. A walk inside (you have to keep off your shoes!) the house reveals the austere lifestyle led by the Father of the Nation — the kitchen, his wife Kasturba’s room all bear testimony to this fact. His daily life consisted of reading, marching, praying, cleaning toilets, making chappals (he made a pair even for Rabindranath Tagore), fasting, etc.

The ashram also has other memorial buildings like the Vinoba-Mira Kutir named after the great freedom fighter Vinoba Bhave and Madeleine Slade, an English woman. She was named Mira by Gandhi for her devotion in emulating Gandhi’s ideologies. Then there is the Prarthana Bhoomi, the prayer ground that provided the vital force for Gandhi’s actions and ideals.

The ashram guest house Nandini, built in 1920, is where personalities like Reginald Reynolds, Henry Polak, Jawaharlal Nehru, Tagore and many more stayed during Gandhi’s time. While here, they too observed the simple life of the ashram. Just as Gandhi was the father figure of the ashram, Kasturba was the mother. She took care of all the guests and the inmates. It is she who made it possible for Nehru to have his special tea during his stay here. Even Gandhi admitted, “Without Kasturba’s cooperation, it would never have been possible to achieve so much.”

The Udyog Mandir, the khadi technology centre and the Magan Niwas, the residence of Shri Maganlal, Gandhi’s nephew and manager to the ashram completes the Gandhi Ashram. There are many interesting anecdotes related to the ashram. According to one, Gandhi made his sister Raliyatben (Gokiben) leave the ashram because she was not prepared to have food with the untouchables, whom Gandhi gave equal place among the other inmates! Again another says that Gandhi made Kasturba pay for their grandchildren’s stay in the ashram because it ran on public funds! Such was the dedication of this man towards his principles.

Nilakshi Handique Pegu