The Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad's Sabarmati suburb houses a museum including the My Life is My Message Gallery where eight life-size paintings and more than 250 photo-enlargements of some vivid and historic events of Bapu’s life are seen.
‘Developing India Mirror’ Correspondent Anil Verma visited the place and interacted with Director Tridip Suhrud who said that the Ashram recently took up three important tasks including creation of a state-of-the-art archive to preserve the Father of the Nation’s original papers.
The facility plans to conduct the Sabarmati Festival 2016 from October 1 and people from across the globe are expected to participate. The Ashram has joined hands with the Ministry of Culture for the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission whose objective is to conserve every location relating to the Mahatma besides discovering ways and means vis-à-vis documentation, research and optimum utilisation of technology for propagation of Gandhian thought. There are 40 such sites. The Ashram brought into existence the Gandhi Heritage Portal boasting 8.55 lakh pages.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. In what manner are the Mahatma’s teachings relevant in today’s strife-torn world?
A. Whatever Bapu had to accomplish, he did. If we believe that the country’s foundation is based on truth, non-violence, justice and equality and as long as the same is intact then he is very much pertinent. The question should be how does honesty etc matter to us? If the answer is positive then Gandhiji is relevant else not only the Mahatma but also other great men of this world are not pertinent. I don’t believe that any society can be based on untruth because if falsehood and himsa are the basis of our community then there is no possibility of us remaining alive. Presuming that there is glaring inequality among the public, people have nothing to eat and no shelter then there is no future for such a society.
Q. Do you think successive governments took specific initiatives to carry forward Bapu's legacy?
A. We are working along with the dispensation on how to achieve the same. The Heritage Sites Mission was established so that mankind benefits from the Mahatma’s ideas that should be propagated in several languages; at present available in 18 tongues. Other efforts are also being made in this direction and shall continue. This responsibility is not attributable to the regime exclusively. It is also the job of institutions plus society.
Q. What are the major spots at the Ashram?
A. The Hriday Kunj, Magan Niwas, Upasana Mandir etc.
Q. What is the flow of visitors?
A. Around 10 lakh visitors from India and abroad annually. If this place would not have been significant then why would they arrive in such numbers? We conducted a survey in 2015 and found that in the brief span of a week, travellers from as many as 41 nations paid obeisance.
Q. A word regarding the ‘walking tours’.
A. We have always preferred to walk and the Ashram is not such an immense place that one has to move in a vehicle. Our people serve as guides.