Maharashtra has not known Gandhi the way the rest of the country has,” said Dr Kumar Saptarshi.
Saptarshi, an activist and a Gandhian is the President of Maharashtra Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (MSGN), popularly known to Punekars as Gandhi Bhavan in Kothrud.
At the beginning, Gandhi Bhavan carried forward Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of cleanliness by promoting hygienic sanitation. Now, the organisation’s work has come down to propagating Gandhian principles amongst the public.
Books and seminars
“At Gandhi Bhavan, we have seminars and talks about Gandhi for students and researchers. Many of these events are open to all so anyone interested in finding out more about Gandhi would be able to attend,” Saptarshi said.
He added, “There are several misconceptions about Mahatma Gandhi in the minds of Punekars, or I would say the people of Maharashtra, which have been there for years. Gandhi was the successor of Lokmanya Tilak in India’s freedom movement. He respected Tilak with all his heart. However, since his principles and his life had not been extensively documented in Marathi literature for a long time, we find many people who are unaware. Our objective has been to change that.”
However, Saptarshi stated that it is alright for people to contradict Mahatma’s thoughts. “I only appeal to the people to not comment against him without knowing him. Understand him first, read about what he fought for and then criticise him if you still don’t agree with him,” he said. He further added, “We have a library full of books on Gandhi and his principles that are accessible to people. Gandhi Bhavan houses a well-equipped auditorium with a capacity of 300 seats. There is also an exclusive screening hall where various films and documentaries related to Gandhian thinking and peace are screened.”
Keeping Gandhi relevant
At Gandhi Bhavan, there is a group of peace activists known as Shanti Dal. “Gandhi stood for truth and non-violence all his life. To take forward his legacy, we have organised this group to help and intervene in times of riots and chaos,” Saptarshi said. “We train young men and women who are interested to be calm and quiet in the face of adversity. If at all there is a situation of a riot in the city, we will send our Shanti Dal to peacefully stand in between the conflicting groups to stop them from causing violence. The more peace volunteers that we have, the more chances there are to restore peace in such situations,” he added.
Way ahead
The MSGN has put forward a proposal for a new building, where a museum and a picture gallery on Mahatma Gandhi has been proposed to be opened. A community radio station called ‘Bapu Vani’ is in the pipeline which will be promoting Gandhian ideology. A research centre has also been planned for a study on Gandhi’s life and ideology.
