- Monday, February 24, 2025
The project worth £113.2 million aims to rejuvenate teachers and philosophy of the iconic Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi, for current and future generations, the government said.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday (12) inaugurate the masterplan of the Sabarmati Ashram Memorial project in Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat. He will perform “Ashram Bhoomi Vandana” before unveiling the project.
With a budget of Rs 1,200 crore (£113.2 million), the project aims to rejuvenate teachers and philosophy of the iconic Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi, for current and future generations, as per a government release on Sunday (10).
The ambitious endeavour seeks to enhance the infrastructure surrounding the Sabarmati Ashram, offer state-of-the-art amenities to visitors, and establish a world-class memorial honouring the leader who is also called the ‘Father of the Nation’.
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The masterplan involves expanding the existing five-acre area of the ashram, founded by the Mahatma on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad in 1917, to 55 acres, along with the restoration of 36 existing buildings, according to the release.
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“The project includes conservation of 20 old buildings, precise restoration of 13 buildings, and redevelopment of three buildings keeping in mind the sacrosanct goal of abiding by the ashram’s original architectural simplicity and essence. The aim is to furbish the ashram in a manner that it exudes greenery, serenity and lush tranquillity to all the visitors,” it said.
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The masterplan includes new buildings to house administration facilities, visitor facilities such as an orientation centre, interactive workshops on spinning of the ‘charkha’ (a device for spinning thread), handmade paper, cotton weaving and leatherwork and public utilities.
The buildings will house interactive exhibits and activities to showcase aspects of Mahatma Gandhi’s life as well as the ashram’s legacy, stated the release.
The masterplan envisages the creation of a library and archives building to preserve, protect and disseminate Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas, and create facilities for visiting scholars to use the ashram’s library and archives. The project will also enable the creation of an interpretation centre that can guide visitors with different expectations and in multiple languages, making their experience culturally and intellectually more stimulating and enriching.
Bhupendra Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat, will be present with Modi at the “Ashram Bhoomi Vandana” ceremony, the release added.
On the occasion, the PM will also inaugurate the redeveloped Kochrab Ashram, which was the first ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi after coming to India from South Africa in 1915 and is preserved as a memorial and tourist space, it said.
“Modi holds profound reverence and admiration for Gandhiji’s principle of upholding peace and truth even in times fraught with conflict. The rejuvenation project will be taken forward with utmost sensitivity and respect to the fact that the ashram’s existence goes beyond the idea of mere physical space,” the release said.
“The ashram stands as a symbol of sacrifice and perseverance of freedom fighters, a haven for introspection, and a crucible of moral values. Gandhiji’s legacy of simplicity and profound ideology resonates through every corner of the sacred ashram,” it said.
(With PTI inputs)
