One of the oldest surviving Gandhian institutions may now become a tourist complex. A mounting financial crunch has forced the management of Mahatma Gandhi’s Sewagram Ashram to consider fund-raising means that may be at odds with the guiding principles of its founder.Apart from passing the hat around for charity from individuals and institutions which embody Gandhian thought, the options under consideration by the Ashram’s management committee include a tourism complex, which the Central government has offered to build.‘‘We are earning Rs 7 lakh against expenses of Rs 9 lakh every year. We are in a dilemma over whether we should try something different to augment the earnings,’’ management committee secretary M B Nisal told The Indian Express.But some think the idea of a tourism complex with visitors paying to come and experience the Mahatma’s legacy undermines the very basis of Gandhian philosophy. Suresh Pandharipande, a Gandhian thinker and academic, says, ‘‘It’s a sacrilege. Honest Gandhians might lodge a strong protest if the tourist complex is allowed,’’ he warns.The Ashram near Wardha, built in 1936 on a plot donated by industrialist Jamnalal Bajaj, was a hub of the freedom movement. It remained Gandhi’s home from 1936 until his death. Spread over 105 acres of mostly agriculture land, the ashram contains low roof-tiled mud dwellings built in the spartan manner which characterised its famous resident.The huts with cowdung-coated floors, which continue to be well-maintained, were built using local material available in a 50-km radius. They include the large Adi Niwas where Gandhi first lived and received guests and the compact Bapu Kuti where he moved later.Nisal says increasing losses in agriculture, which is carried out on about 80 acres, and reduced inflows from the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi—the primary fund source— due to falling interest rates have caused a fund crunch at the Ashram. ‘‘Last year alone, we suffered losses of Rs 2 lakh in farming,’’ he said.The Centre’s proposal for building holiday homes came about five months ago. ‘‘It could fetch us regular money,’’ Nisal reasons, although he fears that it may usher in consumerist culture and negate the Ashram’s fundamental goals. But Nisal finds excuses in Gandhi himself. ‘‘Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan had the liberty to cook non-vegetarian food in the ashram precincts,’’ he recalls.Once a meeting point for prominent freedom fighters, the Ashram is now an agricultural commune growing cotton, jowar, wheat, soyabean and rice. Wardha is also home to the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, originally a guesthouse built by Bajaj to accommodate visitors, and the Kasturba Health Society, which runs an institute to train nurses and a school.These apart, there is the Yatri Nivas for those interested in visiting the ashram, the Centre of Science for Villages, and the experimental farm, Chetna Vikas. ‘‘The reason (for making losses) is also because we are in transition from routine to organic farming. Moreover, farming is profitable when you have an owner totally dedicated to the cause. We are, after all, an institution,” Nisal said.Worried, the committee released an appeal for help three months ago. ‘‘The members began by themselves contributing a thousand rupees each,’’ Nisal said.‘‘We have already collected Rs 1.50 lakh. Moreover, the Bajaj Foundation has promised to give Rs 5 lakh. Gandhian institutions from Wardha like Gram Sewa Sangh and Maharogi Sewa Sangh are also contributing,’’ he said.There is also a proposal from the Government’s Non-Conventional Energy Department for power generation from bio-mass. ‘‘We had tried the solar energy experiment 20 years ago, but it failed. All the same, we are also thinking about the new proposal,’’ Nisal said.
