Much water has flown under the Sabarmati Bridge in Ahmedabad ever since Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi undertook the Salt March in 1930. River Sabarmati has changed, and now Narmada waters flow in it. The banks of the river too have changed and become Sabarmati Riverfront. What hasn't undergone a change yet is the debate on whether Gandhi is still relevant in present times.
Why does one need to debate whether the Father of the Nation and his philosophy, revolving around austerity and truth, is relevant? Is it because we feel that his thoughts and philosophy are still relevant or because it appears that his philosophy does not hold true in today's times. The answer may go either way, but the fact remains that we will continue to talk about Gandhi and his philosophy for years to come.
Even as his 150th birth centenary is celebrated in India and different parts of the world, the most fitting tribute in physical form to Gandhi is in the form of National Salt Satyagraha Memorial in Dandi, South Gujarat. Conceived by IIT Mumbai under the leadership of Professor Kirti Trivedi, the memorial, also a tribute to 80 marchers, takes one back to the history.
The project was announced during the tenure of the UPA at the Centre. However, it could not take off due to various reasons. Several models were rejected and finally the task was assigned to IIT Mumbai. The High Level Dandi Committee has Sudarshan Iyengar, former vice-chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapeeth, as the vice-chairman. Among the members are representatives from the Centre and Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of Gandhi.
In a bid to awaken the nation, Gandhi picked up salt as an issue, Iyengar told THE WEEK. The salt law could have been broken near Ahmedabad, but he chose to carry out a march of 241 miles from Ahmedabad to Dandi.
It was a deliberate march for 24 days, says Iyengar. “Each day there was a rising. Gandhi was a real strategist. Purna Swaraj (total freedom) did not happen in one year, but it did spread the spirit to the commonest people,” he pointed out.
He said a salt crystal that shines in the laser light at the memorial was the idea of Professor Trivedi. The memorial also has 24 murals for experiential walkway.
Tushar Gandhi says there are so many stories that need to be narrated. Though he believes that memorials are tokenism, in the case of the Dandi memorial, there is a vested interest to tell the story of 80 marchers. For instance not many are aware that Pandit Khare, one of the close associates of Gandhi, joined the Salt March despite his son's death just a day before the march began.
As part of the Centre's plan to develop Dandi route, night homes have come up at 21 villages where Gandhi had halted at nigh on his way to Dandi.
The villagers feel that in the years to come, the night homes would give boost to tourism. In Matwad, a few kilometers away from Dandi, three rooms have been made for visitors' stay. Available at a cost of Rs 600 per night, the rooms have simple cupboards, beds and an attached toilet.
Binita Patel, 29, a hotel management graduate, takes care of one of the night homes. She is happy that such an initiative has been taken up and is hopeful that people would love to come and stay at places where Gandhi stayed. The night homes have been made in the villages where Gandhi stayed, but not necessarily at the same place because it was not practically possible. Giving an example, Iyengar said that some places were schools and some temples.
If the memorial at Dandi aims to give an in-depth insight about the event that changed the course of Indian history and proved to be a turning point, Gandhi Heritage Portal, being managed by Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust, Ahmedabad, is a one-stop authentic resource bank for anything one wants to know about Gandhi.