Sabarmati Ashrama: The Symbol Of Satyagraha

The Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Harijan Ashram)situated on the banks of River Sabarmati was home to Mahatma Gandhi from 1917 to 1930 and served as one of the main centres of the Indian freedom struggle. It is a symbol of a man’s dedication, determination, ideals, persistence and perseverance.

• The Ashram, a place where the political movement of Satyagrah was waged, is a symbol of the historical significance and non-violent means of mass agitation against the oppressive British rule. It serves as a source of inspiration and guidance to stand for the right without any violent protests.

Establishment of the Ashram

On his return from South Africa, Gandhi established his first Ashram in India in the Kochrab area of Ahmedabad on 25 May 1915. The Ashram was then shifted on 17 June 1917 to a piece of open land on the banks of the river Sabarmati due to following reasons-

• His search for a barren land to perform experiments related to farming, animal husbandry, cow breeding, Khadi and related constructive activities, etc.
• Mythologically, it was the ashram site of Dadhichi Rishi who had donated his bones for a righteous war
• It is located between a jail and a crematorium and Gandhi believed that a Satyagrahi has to go to either place.

Objectives behind Establishing Ashram

To serve as an institution that would carry on a search for truth

• To provide a platform to bring together a group of workers committed to non-violence who would help secure freedom for India.

By conceiving such a vision Gandhi and his followers hoped to foster a new social construct of truth and non-violence that would help to revolutionize the existing pattern of like.

Activities at Ashram

At the Ashram, Gandhi formed a school that focused on manual labour, agriculture, and literacy to advance his efforts for self-sufficiency.

• It was from here on the 12 March 1930 that Gandhi launched the famous Dandi march 241 miles from the Ashram in protest of the British Salt Law. This mass awakening filled the British jails with 60,000 freedom fighters whose property were seized by the British. Sympathizing with Satyagrahis, Gandhi responded by asking the Government to forfeit the Ashram and return the properties of the Satyagrahis.
• Efforts were made at this place to fight the evils of untouchability, inequality and societal divides.
• Gandhi decided to disband the Ashram on 22 July 1933, which later became asserted place after the detention of many freedom fighters. Later, some local citizens decided to preserve it. Over the years, the Ashram became home to the ideology that set India free. It aided countless other nations and people in their own battles against oppressive forces.

Principles for Satyagrahis

Gandhiji founded the Sabarmati Ashram to teach people about following principles of Satyagraha:

1. Nonviolence (ahimsa)
2. Truth includes honesty, but goes beyond it to mean living fully in accord with and in devotion to that which is true
3. Non-stealing
4. Chastity (brahmacharya) includes sexual chastity, but also the subordination of other sensual desires to the primary devotion to truth
5. Non-possession (not the same as poverty)
6. Body-labour or bread-labour
7. Control of the palate
8. Fearlessness
9. Equal respect for all religions
10. Economic strategy such as boycotts (swadeshi)
11. Freedom from untouchability

Later Mahatma Gandhi listed seven rules as “essential for every Satyagrahi in India”:

1. must have a living faith in God
2. must believe in truth and non-violence and have faith in the inherent goodness of human nature
3. must be leading a chaste life, and be willing to die or lose all his possessions
4. must be a habitual khadi wearer and spinner
5. must abstain from alcohol and other intoxicants
6. must willingly carry out all the rules of discipline
7. must obey the jail rules unless they are specially devised to hurt his self-respect

The Ashram which symbolizes satyagraha currently witnesses a nation caught in a complex labyrinth of social evils, vested political interests, social and economic inequalities, caste hierarchy, all kinds of violence instilling insecurity in the minds of people and increasing religious divide disrupting the very social fabric of India. The principles of non-violence and truthfulness which flourished and nurtured in the ashram are needed in the present era to build a better world to live in.