Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Wardha

Visit of Students and Teachers of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to the Ashram On April 20, 2026, a delegation of 20 students and four teachers from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, Chennai, and Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, Nagpur, undertook an educational visit to the historic Sevagram Ashram. The visit was part of an exchange study programme between the two schools. The visit commenced with a guided tour of the ashram’s heritage buildings, offering students a firsthand look at  simplicity of Mahatma Gandhi’s  life at the ashram. Following the tour, Dr. Siby K. Joseph, Director of the Library and Research Centre, addressed the group, providing an overview of the ashram’s history and its pivotal role in India’s freedom struggle. The evening session, held at the Ashram’s Library and Research Centre, began with a warm welcome from the Director. Participants were given access to rare archival resources, including video footage of Gandhi’s daily life at Sevagram and a curat...

  Study Visit / Camp for NIRMAN Youth Shri Amrut Bang of NIRMAN coordinated with the Sevagram Ashram to organise a short study visit and camp for Youth of Gadchiroli and Chandrapur district, held on April 17 and 18, 2026. The participants arrived at the Ashram on the morning of the 17th and concluded their visit the following day. The programme offered an immersive experience of the Sevagram Ashram and the Nai Talim premises. The itinerary also included visits to the Gitai Mandir, the Jamnalal Bajaj and Vinoba exhibitions, and the Vishwa Shanti Stupa at Gopuri,Wardha.  Throughout the visit, the youth experienced ashram life firsthand by participating in daily prayers and Shramdan (voluntary labour) at the Goshala. They also learned about the functions of various Ashram departments. The training camp featured interactive sessions, group discussions, and lectures. Although the camp lasted only a day and a half, every minute was effectively utilised. The NIRMAN youth were highly ...

  Prez Murmu visits Sevagram Ashram in Wardha; impresses locals with simplicity and curiosity President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday visited the historic Sevagram Ashram in Maharashtra’s Wardha, touring Mahatma Gandhi’s residence, including Bapu Kuti, Ba Kuti, and Adi Niwas. During her visit, she paid tributes to Gandhi, toured the premises, and took a keen interest in the historical significance of each location. The President also participated in a prayer meeting, planted a sapling to support environmental sustainability, and engaged in traditional thread spinning (sut katayi). Accompanying the President were Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Guardian Minister Dr Pankaj Bhoyar, and Collector Vanmathi C., among other dignitaries. The residents of the Ashram were deeply moved by the President’s visit, citing her remarkable simplicity and her asking detailed, thoughtful questions. While examining the preserved artefacts of Mahatma Gandhi’s dai...

Walking Alone, Walking Together: Tagore and Gandhi on Jallianwala Bagh Siby K. Joseph On the eve of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, I wrote a brief piece titled The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: Gandhi’s Shift from Loyalty to Rebellion. In response, a friend pointed out that Tagore returned his knighthood during this period, marking the first significant difference between Tagore and Gandhi regarding their course of action in a public cause. Because I had not referred to Tagore’s renunciation of his knighthood or Gandhi’s return of his Kaiser-i-Hind medal in 1920, I was prompted to look into their correspondence concerning the nationwide "Satyagraha" against the Rowlatt Act. On 5th April 1919, Gandhi wrote to Tagore seeking "a message of hope and inspiration for those who have to go through the fire." Gandhi acknowledged that he valued even "adverse opinions from friends," as they serve as "lighthouses to give out warnings of dangers lying in the stormy p...

  The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: Gandhi’s Shift from Loyalty to Rebellion By  Siby K. Joseph After leading Satyagraha in South Africa from 1906 to 1914, Gandhi returned to India in January 1915. While his early intervention in Champaran in 1917 demonstrated the power of non-violence, its scope remained localized. In 1919, the British government enacted the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act, to suppress rising nationalist sentiment. Gandhi viewed this law as a "shock" designed to "rob the people of all real freedom" and called upon the public to offer Satyagraha against the oppressive act. In Amritsar, renowned national leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlu and Dr. Satyapal organised protests against the Rowlatt Act. People from all sects participated in peaceful gatherings at Jallianwala Bagh. This led to significant misunderstandings among the British authorities, who subsequently ordered the arrest and deportation of both Kitchlu ...

  Lokmat ePaper - http://epaper.lokmat.com/articlepage.php?articleid=LOK_HWAD_20260329_2_6