NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Kocharab ashram in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Tuesday, the day that marks the 94th anniversary of the Dandi March which began from the Sabarmati Ashram.
PM Modi, in a post on X, shared photographs of the revamped Kocharab ashram and said that the restoration of the Sabarmati Ashram manifests the central government’s commitment to preserving and celebrating our rich history.
“The restoration of Sabarmati Ashram manifests our commitment to preserving and celebrating our rich history. The scale of the effort will leave you spellbound!” the PM said.
It was the first ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi after coming to India from South Africa in 1915. It is still preserved as a memorial and tourist space by Gujarat Vidyapeeth.
PM Modi also unveiled the masterplan of the Rs 1,200 crore Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development Project.
The masterplan, unveiled by PM Modi proposes to restore, conserve, and rebuild about half of the 63 structures that existed in the original ashram that was spread over 120 acres of land on the banks of the Sabarmati River on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. In all, 36 buildings will be restored.
The place that is popularly known as Sabarmati Ashram currently, and is open to the public, covers only 5 acres of this original space. It is managed by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT).
The new memorial will be spread over 55 acres, and the entire precincts will sprawl over 322 acres. An official said that if an hour is needed for a quick tour of the current Gandhi Ashram, it will take at least 6-7 hours for a visitor to tour the entire expanded premises when the project is completed.
According to the masterplan, 20 buildings will be conserved including Hriday Kunj, the residence of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba, the Gandhi Memorial Museum designed by the late Charles Correa which opened in 1963, Nandini Niwas, which served as the guest house, Manav Sadhna, run by Jayesh Patel, son of its Gandhian founder Ishwarbhai Patel, and the son-in-law of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandi Patel, Vinoba-Mira Kutir, where Vinoba Bhave stayed, the Jay Jagat Amphitheatre, and the Junu Rasodu (Old Kitchen).
Thirteen buildings— which include two gaushalas, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s office, and Dus Ordi (Ten Rooms) —will be restored.
Three buildings — the Dehla Puni Kendra (place for storing cotton bales), Saat Ordi (Seven Rooms), and Anand Bhawan Sanghralaya —are proposed to be rebuilt. (ANI)