Latest news with #GandhiSmritiBhavan
Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Gandhian sites in Maharashtra's Wardha to get Rs 45-crore makeover
After the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, more Gandhian heritage sites in Maharashtra's Wardha district are set to get a makeover over the next 18 months, officials said. These sites — the Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, the Kasturba Kitchen and the Wardha Haat — are located within the campus of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialization (MGIRI), which functions under the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. The MGIRI, which is funding the Rs 45-crore project, signed an MoU earlier this week with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), which will helm the conservation and restoration efforts. Experts who will carry out the project will be selected through a competitive bidding process and a detailed project report will be prepared soon, said officials. IGNCA Member-Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi said: 'After leaving Sabarmati Ashram [in 1933], Gandhi stayed at Wardha for two years, and pledged to only return after India got independence. The place became his home and a base for his freedom struggle activities.' Gandhi Smriti Bhavan served as a workspace for Mahatma Gandhi during the Independence struggle. The haat, or market, is associated with the All-India Village Industries Association established by Gandhi in 1934 to revive and improve village industries across India. Under the project, the Gandhi Smriti Bhavan and Kasturba Kitchen will be 'transformed into immersive, multimedia museums with prayer spaces', while the Wardha Haat will be converted into an artisan marketplace 'reviving Gandhian rural economy through crafts and culture'. 'The mandate is to preserve and conserve heritage buildings in the campus while also to ensure the MGIRI is ready as a centre for excellence to empower rural youth from the region,' Joshi said. Experts will carry out a structural assessment of the existing buildings on the complex. The IGNCA, which comes under the Ministry of Culture, is planning to introduce curated trails with digital storytelling on Gandhian philosophy. Life-size statues of Gandhi and traditional village artisans will narrate stories of rural India. Public facilities, cafes, souvenir shops, and guided tours have also been planned, Joshi said. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, Kasturba Kitchen, Wardha Haat to be restored in Maharashtra
New Delhi: The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialisation (MGIRI) is set to restore three heritage structures linked to Mahatma Gandhi's vision for self-reliant villages—Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, Kasturba Kitchen, and Wardha Haat—nestled within its campus in Maharashtra's Wardha. The Kasturba Kitchen, where meals were prepared for the ashram community and visitors, will see its original infrastructure restored. MGIRI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi's Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) for an 18-month project on Thursday. The IGNCA, the ministry of culture's heritage body, will serve as the project management consultant. Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, which served as Gandhi's residence, and its library will be transformed into an immersive museum and prayer hall. This will include structural repairs, digitisation of valuable collections, and interactive exhibition showcasing Gandhi's ideologies. There will also be a dedicated meditation area. Adjacent to Gandhi Smriti Bhavan is the Kasturba Kitchen, where meals were prepared for the ashram community and visitors. The Kasturba Kitchen will see its original infrastructure restored. Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, which served as Gandhi's residence, and its library will be transformed into an immersive museum and prayer hall The Wardha Haat, once a bustling marketplace inaugurated by Gandhi in 1936, will be restored as an artisan complex. This involves reconstructing damaged sections, improving visitor infrastructure like ventilation and lighting, and creating dedicated workspaces for rural craftsmen. Mahatma Gandhi had founded the All India Village Industries Association (AIVIA) on December 14, 1934, on this land in Wardha donated by his close associate, Seth Jamanalal Bajaj. From 1934 to 1936, Gandhi lived at Maganwadi with Kasturba Gandhi, personally guiding AIVIA's development into a centre for research, production, training, and promotion of village industries. As AIVIA expanded, the Jamanalal Bajaj Central Research Institute (JBCRI) was set up on the site in 1955 under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to continue the research and development. In a joint effort, KVIC and IIT Delhi developed MGIRI between 2001 and 2008. It later became a national institute under the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), focusing on rural industrialisation and preserving the physical heritage structures directly associated with Gandhi. Also read: Larger lesson in welfare dispute Beyond structural restoration, the project will focus on enhancing public engagement with the heritage site. A curated heritage walk will connect the restored structures. Life-size statues of Mahatma Gandhi and the 12 traditional village artisans (Balutedars) will be installed, along with interactive plaques explaining their significance. Supporting infrastructure such as a sustainable cafeteria featuring local cuisine, a Gandhian-themed souvenir shop, public toilets, water points, and adequate parking will also be developed. 'It seeks to bridge the gap between Gandhi's tangible legacy and contemporary efforts in sustainable rural development, ensuring the places where he lived, worked, and envisioned a self-reliant India are not just preserved, but actively contribute to educating and inspiring future generations,' said an IGNCA official.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
To restore key Gandhian sites, IGNCA unveils Rs 45 crore project
NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is set to begin a comprehensive Rs 45 crore conservation and restoration project at prominent Gandhian heritage sites in Wardha, Maharashtra, with the aim of making it a "canvas of Gandhian thought" for the 21st century. The initiative will cover Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, Kasturba Kitchen, and Wardha Haat, with the objective of preserving their architectural, historical, and cultural significance while promoting rural development and public engagement. The restoration project is being carried out in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialization (MGIRI), Wardha, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with IGNCA on July 2. It will be completed within an 18-month timeline, officials said. Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, located within the Sevagram Ashram where Mahatma Gandhi lived from 1936 to 1948, served as his operational headquarters during the freedom movement. It continues to be a site of national and international significance, symbolising Gandhian philosophy and simplicity. "MGIRI Wardha is not just about conserving the past-it's about reimagining Bapu's vision," said Dr Sachchidanand Joshi, member secretary of IGNCA. "Through immersive storytelling, digital heritage walks, and artisan hubs, Wardha will become a living canvas of Gandhian thought for the 21st century," the IGNCA member said.
