Gandhi Ashram redevelopment: Trust begins process to prepare ‘concept note’

As the Central government and the Gujarat government are moving ahead with a Rs 1,200-crore project of Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development, the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT) has started a consultation process to prepare a “concept note” on the interpretation, exhibition and experience a visitor would have while visiting the proposed “larger” ashram premise spread across around 120 acres.

SAPMT started the process after receiving a formal communication from Gujarat government and issued a public statement on Sunday, stating, “The redevelopment proposal for the Sabarmati Ashram precinct in Ahmedabad has led to much discussion and several concerns have been raised… Currently, the area for visitors known as the Ashram is about 3 acres on which stands Hriday Kunj, which was home to Mahatma Gandhi from 1917 to 1930. It also houses the museum designed by Charles Correa. The memorial is visited by over 3,000 people every day.”

“The area which people visit is a fraction of the original ashram that was spread over 120 acres of land and had 63 structures… Nearly 48 of these buildings are present even today. With a view to give visitors a larger experience of the ashram as it was, the restoration plan proposes that a larger area approximately 55 acres be developed similar to the current memorial giving the visitors an understanding of the variety of activities and the functioning of the ashram in those days,” it adds.