In Pune’s Kothrud, an institution continues to safeguard Gandhian values

When the MGSN’s Gandhi Bhavan came up in Kothrud, it was still a village outside the city. Today, the Gandhi Bhavan building is a known landmark in a busy and densely populated area. The two-storeyed building is located on 1.5 acres and comprises three large halls that are used for various activities.

It has a 300-seat auditorium dedicated to the institution’s founder, a dining hall with a capacity for about a hundred people, and Mahatma Gandhi Mini Theatre, an air-conditioned space with advanced audio-visual equipment. A mini theatre is equipped with a projector and the latest sound system, providing a venue for showcasing rare movies and documentaries on Mahatma Gandhi. The institution holds a collection of these rare films, making them available for exhibition at any time.

Staying relevant

Soon after the organisation was set up, Mamasaheb launched a state-wide cleanliness and hygiene campaign, ‘Bhangi Mukti Yojana’. He also started a publication department to publish Gandhian literature, especially in Marathi.

“He was influenced by the Gandhian principle of cleanliness so he decided to work with Appasaheb Patwardhan, popularly known as ‘Konkan Gandhi’ in building cost-effective toilets in rural areas. The organisation was born out of Gandhian philosophy and since then it has been working towards the ideas of Gandhi,” said Sandip Barve, secretary of MGSN Pune.

Gandhi Bhavan’s library has more than 1,200 active members today. The organisation hosts spinning wheel practice sessions every Sunday and a ‘Gandhi Vichar Darshan’ programme on the second Sunday of each month.

The premises house a large library with more than 40,000 books, about 8,000 of which are themed on Gandhi. The building also stores an urn containing Gandhi’s ashes which were sent for immersion in rivers across the country after his assassination in 1948. It’s among the very few places in India that still stores the ashes.

Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and one of the trustees, said, “Right now we need to increase our efficiency in preserving the Gandhian values because we are failing in it. The idea of India that Gandhi dreamt of is gradually and systematically being eroded. Most of the organisations that claim to be working for safeguarding Gandhian philosophy are being taken over by the right wing,” he said.

As per Dr Saptarshi, under his presidency, the MGSN has continued the work of his predecessors. “In the presidency of Deogirikar, the organisation was working on making toilets and stopping open defecation. During the presidency of [Balasaheb] Bharade, the organisation was working on creating biogas. Under my presidency, we are working on preparing organic fertilizer by decomposing waste material,” he said. “We named this campaign ‘Eco-sanitation’ and installed a plant which changes waste into an organic fertilizer. We run multiple campaigns in the organisation to cherish the values of Mahatma Gandhi because you can kill the physical body of a human being but you cannot kill the idea,” he said.