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Where to settle was a question before Gandhiji when he
returned from South Africa. His selection of Ahmedabad was for
three reasons. In his own words "being a Gujarati, I'll serve
my country best through the use of Gujarati language. As
Ahmedabad was the centre of handloom in early days, the work
of spinning wheel (charkha) could be done in a better way, I
believed. Being the capital of Gujarat its wealthy persons
will also make larger contribution, I hoped." And in none of
this he was disappointed during his sixteen years stay in
Ahmedabad.
His
first ashram was at Kochrab near Paldi of the present day
Ahmedabad. It was a bungalow of his barrister friend Jivanlal
Desai. This place had to be abandoned after two years in the
wake of a plague epidemic. The choice now fell on a site on
the bank of Sabarmati River, not far from saint Dadheechi's
temple and in the vicinity of a Prision House; Laying down the
objective of the Ashram, Gandhiji wrote: "To take training for
the national service which is not contrary to universal
wellbeing and constantly endeavouring for such national
service is the aim of this Ashram."
Gradually few dwelling units were built and the Ashram soon
started humming with activities. The units were simple in
style but very functional. Gandhiji first stayed in the
Vanatshala-a place where handlooms were installed-but later on
moved to `Hridaykunj', so named by Kakasaheb kalelker as it
was the pulse of the Ashram. This Spartan accomodation was to
witness Gandhiji's evolution from Mohandas to Mahatma, who
rose to be the Father of the Nation.
The
first struggle that Gandhiji spearheaded from Sabarmati Ashram
was that of textile mill workers. On the third day of his fast
the mill-owners came to terms. The establishment of Textile
labour Association was the far-reaching consequence of this
encounter. The struggle also brought Vallabhbhai Patel,
Shankerlal Banker and Ansuyaben Sarabhai as close associates
of Gandhiji. Soon after there was Kheda satyagraha. The
struggle was taken to the national arena when the British
Government passed the Rowlatt Act - cutting the very roots of
liberty.
What
distinguished Gandhiji's struggle was its penetration into
social spheres of life. His activities were not merely
confined to political awakening but also targeted to social
rejuvenation. His charkha and untouchability abolition
campaign brought the majority of the deprived masses of India
into the national mainstream. Through his writing in Young
India and Navajivan he spelt nothing but sedition. The
sedition for which he was arrested and tried in the famous
Ahmedabad Trial-conducted in the present day Circuit House,
opposite Raj Bhavan in Shahibaug. Here, on 18th March 1922,
Gandhiji made a confession before Justice Broomfield, a
statement that became a historic document of India's struggle
for freedom. He confessed how he became a rebel from a
loyalist. Pleading for the maximum penalty he lamented the
fact that the British rulers couldn't see what they were
perpetrating on India through their governance. Justice
Broomfield, in his verdict, equated Gandhiji's action with
that of Lokmanya Tilak. Sentencing gandhiji for six years
imprisonment the judge wrote: " if in future the political
climate of India settles and if the government decides to
shorten this sentence and release you, I'll be the happiest
person. "Vividly capturing the mood of the trial, the
contour-graphic drawn by Ravishanker Raval adorns the Circuit
House at Shahibaug.
In
Yervada jail Gandhiji's health deteriorated and he was
released in 1925. Returning to the Sabarmati Ashram he was
soon occupied with his constructive activities. Publishing of
his autobiography "My Experiments with Truth" with the help of
Mahadevbhai and Miraben unravelled the strength of Bapu's
character. During this time he also performed the Opening
Ceremony of Gujarat Vidyapith - "an act of a rishi" in his
words.
However, the most glorious chapter of Sabarmati Ashram is the
way in which he bid farewell to it. Though sad and sacrificial
in nature it galvanised the country into hitherto unknown
sense of unity and national spirit. The moment arrived when
the genesis of salt duties was unearthed. Directed by `his
inner voice' Bapu gave a call to break the Salt law and
embarked on a 240-mile march with his seventy-nine followers.
On 12th March 1930 Bapu commenced on this trail setting nation
ablaze with the spirit of defiance. Blessed were those who saw
the master marching out of the Ashram with his spirit guided
by divinity.
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