News Paper Reports, Articles Centenary of Gandhi's visit to Kerala
Centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s call for Spirit of
Adventure
Siby Kollappallil Joseph
March 6, 2025
https://globalgandhi.com/centenary-of-mahatma-gandhis-call-for-spirit-of-adventure/
March 8, 2025 marks the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit
to Kochi which was then under the direct rule of the British. It was his second
visit to Kerala. In December 1924 as the newly elected as the President of
Indian National Congress in his address defined India’s immediate goal as: “The
removal, at the earliest possible moment, of any communal or sectional
representation. A common electorate must impartially elect its representatives
on the sole ground of merit.” Gandhi also emphasized the importance of
Hindu-Muslim unity, removal of untouchability, and the promotion of khaddar. As
the President of Indian National Congress his visit to Kerala also reflected
these concerns.
The Old Railway station near Ernakulam High court witnessed
a historic moment when Mahatma Gandhi stepped down onto its platform marking
the beginning of his tour. He was warmly welcomed at Ernakulam and Gandhi in
his speech in reply to Corporation address, at Ernakulam on March 8, 1925
thanked very sincerely for the address and the sentiments expressed in it. His
visit in this Presidency was mainly for the sake of his mission in Vykom which
aimed to open the road to the temple for all sections of Hindus in the
Travancore region of Kerala. During the speech Gandhi expressed his pleasure at
finding all religious faiths and races living in peace and harmony in the
State. He said “I refer to Hindu-Muslim unity which is a form of unity amongst
all the races professing the various religions of India. I know that in this
State you have no such question, as I understand, as between Hindus and Muslims
or between Hindus and other races. It is a matter of great pleasure to me to
find that in this State all the races are living in peace, amity and
brotherhood. Let that state of things last forever. But I am afraid I am unable
to pay you the same tribute so far as the spinning-wheel is concerned.”
Mahatma Gandhi addressed a huge gathering at a makeshift
platform built on country boats at Fort Kochi beachfront on March 8, 1925. This
historic “Spirit of Adventure” speech at Fort Kochi emphasized the importance
of embracing change and challenging social injustices. He drew inspiration from
the sea, saying, “Living on the seaside you are aware of what adventure can do.
The sea is an epitome of adventures.” Gandhi then shifted his focus to the need
for adventure in India’s national life, stating, “What we need is the spirit of
adventure in our national life… It requires for instance an adventurous spirit
to find out in the Hindu religion its black spots” Gandhi specifically
highlighted the issue of untouchability, saying, “We have in our religion a
black spot which must be removed. It is untouchability and here I am sorry to
add also unapproachability. ” With reference to his mission at Vykom he said “
I want to plead wisdom and tell them that this untouchability and
unapproachability cannot be part of Hinduism. I have come to tell them that the
satyagrahis who are fighting against enormous odds at Vykom are not out to
destroy religion, but to reform it. I have come to tell them of all the
implications of this struggle. I have come to tell them also that it is wrong
for us to be satisfied with things as they are, if we find that they are bad.
It, therefore, gives me pleasure that I shall be carrying with me your
blessings and your sympathy, for in the address presented to me on your behalf
by the municipality I am assured of your sympathy and support.” Gandhi’s speech
also promoted self-sufficiency and economic empowerment through the adoption of
khaddar, hand-spun and hand-woven cloth. He argued, “The best way of ridding
India of the curse of poverty and pauperism is for one and all of us to be
dressed in khaddar.” Gandhi emphasized the value of simplicity and character
over material possessions, saying, “Handsome is not who is handsome clothed,
but handsome is who handsome does” This speech was part of Gandhi’s broader
mission to promote social reform, economic empowerment, national unity and
amity among all religious traditions. K. J. Berly Congress President of British
Kochi organised this meeting. Gandhi stayed in the house of Mathura Das, a
Gujarati staying in Mattancherry. Gandhi also addressed the ground of TD
Highschool at Mattancherry. Then he proceeded to Vykom. Gandhi’s involvement in
the Vaikom Satyagraha helped draw national attention to the issue and
ultimately contributed to the success of the movement.
It is befitting that on March 8, 2025 coinciding with 100th
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s historic address at Fort Kochi a series of
programmes have been by various organizations, including the People’s Council
for Cochin Development, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Gandhian Collective, and
others with the support of prominent personalities. The centenary celebration
of Gandhi’s visit to Kerala should not be limited to symbolic programmes, but
rather serve as an opportunity for the State to reaffirm the communal amity
Gandhi praised during his visit to Ernakulam and address larger social
concerns. As we live in a time where communal harmony is under threat and the
downtrodden continue to await social justice, it is crucial to revisit Gandhi’s
ideals and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society. By
organizing community events, launching initiatives to support marginalized
communities and encouraging youth involvement, we can make the centenary
celebration a meaningful and impactful event that honours Gandhi’s legacy and
promotes a better future for all.
Fort Kochi commemorates 100 years of Gandhi’s visit with
padayatra, exhibitions, talks
The highlight of the programme is the ‘Padayatra’, which will be held from Kamalakadavu Jetty, where Gandhiji arrived by boat, to Fort Kochi beach.
Kamalakadavu, the main boat jetty at Fort Kochi, where
Mahatma Gandhi set foot a hundred years ago. (Photo | TP Sooraj, EPS)
08 Mar 2025
KOCHI: As Kochi celebrates the centenary of the historic
visit of Mahatma Gandhi, various organisations, including the People’s Council
for Cochin Development, Gandhi Peace Foundation, and Gandhian Collective, have
joined hands to conduct a series of programmes on Saturday aimed at revisiting
the Gandhian ideals and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable
society.
Mahatma Gandhi arrived at the Old Railway station near
Ernakulam High court on March 8, 1925, kicking off his second visit to Kerala.
The main purpose of his visit was to support the Vaikom Satyagraha, a movement
aimed at opening the temples to all Hindus, regardless of caste. The ‘Father of
the Nation’ addressed a huge gathering at a makeshift platform built on country
boats at Fort Kochi beachfront on the day.
“This historic ‘Spirit of Adventure’ speech by Gandhi at
Fort Kochi emphasised the importance of embracing change and challenging social
injustice. He drew inspiration from the sea, saying, ‘Living on the seaside,
you are aware of what adventure can do. The sea is an epitome of adventures’,”
quoted Dr Siby K Joseph, Director, Sri Jamnalal Bajaj Memorial Library and
Research Centre for Gandhian Studies, Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Sevagram,
Wardha.
“We’re conducting various programmes under the title
‘Gandhi@Fort Kochi-100’ to revive the historic moments and spread the Gandhian
ideals so as to promote a better future for all of us,” said K J Sohan, former
mayor and a member of the People’s Council for Cochin Development.
The highlight of the programme is the ‘Padayatra’, which
will be held from Kamalakadavu Jetty, where Gandhiji arrived by boat, to Fort
Kochi beach. The same will be flagged off at 9am by Rahul N Asher, the grandson
of Mathura Das, a Gujarati staying in Mattancherry who translated the speeches
of Gandhi and set up an Ashram and educational institution at Champaran in
Bihar on Gandhi’s direction.
“Gandhiji alighted at the Kamalakadavu jetty , the main
boat jetty of Fort Kochi then, and went to the beach in a procession to give
the historic speech. We’re recreating the memories through the padayatra. An
exhibition on the ‘Life and Time of Mahatma Gandhi’ will be held at the ‘Jail
of Freedom’, which is now functioning as a museum. District Collector N S K
Umesh will inaugurate the exhibition,” Sohan added.
“A drawing competition for children on the topic
‘Gandhi@Fort Kochi-100’ will be held at the nearby Delta Study school lawn. A
drawing competition for professionals will be held at 3 pm. A bhajan will be
held at 4 pm, followed by a public gathering at the compound opposite Bastion
Bungalow (4.30 pm). M K Sanoo Master will inaugurate the same and prominent
Gandhians will give lectures on the occasion,” said V M Michael, Gandhi Peace
Foundation.
All the participants will then light up 100 lamps to
symbolically celebrate the centenary of Gandhi’s visit to Fort Kochi. During
his visit 100 years back, Gandhi stayed in the house of Mathura Das and also
addressed the audience at the ground of TD High School at Mattancherry.
Kochi house that hosted Mahatma Gandhi gears up for
centenary celebration
The house of Mathura Das at Mattancherry, where Gandhiji
stayed during his historic visit to Kerala.(Photo | TP Sooraj, EPS)
Updated on:
08 Mar 2025, 8:11 am
KOCHI: On the eve of March 8, the centenary of Mahatma
Gandhi’s visit to Kochi, the old-fashioned building located opposite to
Mattancherry Gujarati School is being decked up.
Though battered with age, the house still summons vivid
memories of Mahatma Gandhi, thanks to its resident Rahul N Asher and his
family’s close association with Gandhiji.
Mahatma Gandhi’s second visit to Kochi, on March 8, 1925,
was mainly for the sake of his mission in Vaikom, which aimed to open the road
to the temple for all sections of Hindus in Kerala’s Travancore region. That
day, he stayed in the house of Mathura Das Asher, a Gujarati, in Mattancherry.
Rahul, 66, is Mathura Das’s grandson. “My father told me
about Gandhiji’s visit to our house and how he adopted my grandfather as a main
disciple and tasked him with setting up an ashram and educational institution
in Champaran, Bihar. Both my grandfather and grandmother took part in the
freedom movement, and went to jail many times. Only in the final phase of his
life, my grandfather returned to our house in Mattancherry. He passed away in
1972,” Rahul told TNIE.
Locally known as Takku Bhai, Rahul runs various
mercantile ships in the locality. His collection includes rare pictures of
Mahatma Gandhi speaking at TD High school in Mattancherry, him posing with his
aunt and uncle, his speeches in Vaikom and the hand-written letters Mahatma
Gandhi wrote to his grandfather, besides newspaper cuttings that highlighted
the family’s close ties with the ‘Father of the Nation’.
Rahul will flag off a ‘padayatra’ from Kamalakadavu, the
main boat jetty of Fort Kochi where Gandhiji arrived on March 8, 1925. It was
Mathura Das who translated his speeches, when Mahatma Gandhi addressed a huge
gathering at a makeshift platform built on country boats at the Fort Kochi
beachfront on the day.
Adorning the wall in the main room of the house is a
picture of Mahatma Gandhi with Hira Ben, the wife of Mathura Das’s cousin.
“She is 100 and lives in Baroda,” Rahul said. Despite
having lived all his life in Mattancherry, Rahul cannot read Malayalam though
he can understand and speak it.
“My grandpa and grandma were with Mahatma Gandhi for a
major portion of their lives. I’m very proud of them and their many struggles
that finally resulted in India gaining independence from the British rule on
August 15, 1947,” a beaming Rahul said.
Centenary of Gandhiji’s Vaikom visit: A poetic justice served after 100 years!
The Indamthuruthy Mana, which is now the office of AITUC Chethu Thozhilali Union, a Communist-backed union of toddy tappers(Photo | Express)
Updated on:
09 Mar 2025, 8:54 am
KOCHI: It was on March 10, 1925, that Mahatma Gandhi
arrived at Indamthuruthy Mana, which holds a significant place in the historic
Vaikom Satyagraha, at the height of casteism and untouchability. His mission
was to conduct talks to pursue the upper caste members to open the road to the
famous Shiva temple in the town for all sections of hindus in the Travancore
region.
But Gandhi himself turned into a victim. Devan
Neelakandan Namboodiri, the then chief trustee of the temple and head of the
Indamthuruthy Mana, didn’t allow Gandhiji to enter the house as he was a
‘vaishya’.
Gandhiji had to hold the parleys in a temporary pandal
erected outside, while Neelakandan and other upper-caste hindus stayed inside
the house. However, a poetic justice has been served 100 years later when
Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was welcomed into the
house, now the office of a communist-backed union of predominantly lower-caste
toddy tappers, with traditional percussion and escorted by hundreds cutting
across various castes.
“It’s a poetic justice that was served on the centenary
year of Gandhiji’s Vaikom visit. As part of the annual C K Viswanathan
commemoration function, we invited Tushar Gandhi, a noted author, and bestowed
an award. He arrived at the mana to receive the award on December 24, 2024.
Then we welcomed him into the mana, now owned by our
union, accompanied by traditional percussion. While Gandhiji was denied entry
to the two-storey structure having a traditional inner courtyard, his grandson
was extended a grand welcome 100 years later,” T N Ramesh, general secretary of
AITUC Chethu Thozhilali Union, told TNIE. The union now owns the traditional
building located at Kochalum Chuvadu Junction near Vaikom Temple.
So how did the ‘mana’ change hands?
Gandhi returned disappointed after his talks with
Neelakandan, who held the hereditary title of ‘naduvazhi’, didn’t yield any
result. He then arrived at Vaikom to specifically highlight the issue of
untouchability. “We have in our religion a black spot which must be removed. It
is untouchability and here I am sorry to add also unapproachability,” said
Gandhiji.
With reference to his mission at Vaikom he said, “I want
to plead wisdom and tell them that this untouchability and unapproachability
cannot be part of Hinduism. I have come to tell them that the satyagrahis who
are fighting against enormous odds at Vaikom are not out to destroy religion,
but to reform it. I have come to tell them of all the implications of this
struggle...,” Dr Siby K Joseph, director, Sri Jamnalal Bajaj Memorial Library
and Research Centre for Gandhian Studies, Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Wardha,
quoted Gandhi’s words.
The non-violent Vaikom Satyagraha protest intensified
thereafter. “Neelankandan even did a sudhikalasam (purification ritual) there.
However, a silent revolution was happening and things changed fast thereafter.
Thirty two years later, the Communist government, headed
by EMS Namboodiripad, came into power in 1957, and one of the first reforms
introduced was bringing in new legislation on land reforms. A main revenue of
the landlords ceased to exist as they could no longer avail ‘paatam’ and all,”
Ramesh said.
The next generation of Indamthuruthy Mana faced financial
constraints big time. With revenue sources drying up, the households had no
option but to put the mana on sale.“ By the time the next generation came,
things had changed.
The head of the family, Vasudeval Namboodiri, had a
medical condition to treat. Dr Varghese Moothedam, a homeo doctor, learned
about the plans to sell the structure and informed the same to comrade C K
Viswanathan, a freedom fighter and two-time MLA who founded the Chethu
Thozhilali Union,” Ramesh explained.
‘Gandhiji@Fort Kochi 100’, centenary of Mahatma’s visit
to Fort Kochi, celebrated
Published - March 08, 2025 07:44 pm IST – KOCHI
A padayatra held in Fort Kochi on Saturday in remembrance of the centenary of the historic visit of Mahatma Gandhi to Kochi on March 8, 1925. | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Gandhiji@Fort Kochi 100, the centenary of the visit of Mahatma Gandhi to Fort Kochi, was celebrated here on Saturday (March 8) under the aegis of the People’s Council for Kochi Development, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Gandhian Collective, Gandhi Darshan Vedi, Maithri Social Group, and groups of well-wishers and social workers.
A ‘padayatra’ to mark the occasion was flagged off by
District Collector N.S.K. Umesh from the Fort Kochi boat Jetty. The march
concluded at the site in Fort Kochi where the Father of the Nation delivered a
historic speech, referred to as the Jail of the Freedom Struggle, where the
erstwhile British rulers had imprisoned freedom fighters.
The Collector handed over the flag for the padayatrato Rahul
Asher, the grandson of freedom fighter Madhur Das and one of those who met the
Mahatma in Fort Kochi. The padayatra was led by G.S.V. Ramanathan, dressed in
Gandhian attire. An exhibition of pictures was inaugurated after the padayatra
by cartoonist and writer Bonney Thomas.
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