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When Gandhi

Comes Back to India

9THOCTOBER 2019|AMOD

DIST. BHARUCH, GUJARAT

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WHEN GANDHI COMES BACK TO INDIA

9th

October 2019

Amod

Dist. Bharuch, Gujarat

On 9th

October, 2019, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited organized a group discussion to spread

the knowledge how Gandhiji who returned from South Africa led the Indian freedom struggle under the

title, ‘When Gandhi comes back to India’ as part of the celebration of Mahatma Gandhi

Sesquicentennial year under its very significant campaign of the year, ‘Paryatan Parva 2019’ at Amod

town in Bharuch district of Gujarat.

Amod is a small town in Bharuch district on the historical heritage route of the Dandi March. During the

Dandi March, Motilal Nehru came to meet Mahatma Gandhiji at Amod and donated his own property,

‘Anand Bhavan’ to congress at Amod. There was a historical meeting of AICC delegates held at AMOD

to draft the charter of demands also.

1 Plaque at YaatriNivas-Amod sharing trivial information about the importance of the place

To honor the legacy, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited has already built a Gandhi Ashram –

YaatriNivas facility for the tourists of Dandi March. To commemorate the same, the event of group

discussion When Gandhi comes back to India’ was planned at the YaatriNivas, built and maintained by

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TCGL. The Block Level Coordinator of the AMOD taluka, Imran Patelremained presented and

congratulated for organizing this event at Amod.

The residents of the town along with students of the primary school remained present to participate in

the event. The discussion was initiated by the moderator with a few points of Gandhiji and the time

when he came back to India after successful Satyagrah in South Africa against the long lasted racism.

2 Block Resource Coordinator of Amod Taluka, Imran Patel sharing his views

When Gandhiji came back to India, he was warmly welcomed like a hero at Apollo Bunder in Bombay

province. Three days later, a reception event to honor him was organized by Jehangir Petit, a baron of

Bombay. He was admirer and associate of Gopal Krushna Gokhle and it suggested that he soon will join

politics. This was the time when the barristers were the ones who used to join or lead political

organizations. Gandhi was the one who was a barrister and had an experience of leading a successful

movement on the principal of non-violence and fight for the rights of the community which is being

ruled.

In that reception, everyone expected the barrister-leader Mohandas Gandhi in the western attire but he

was in his original Gujarati attire. He addressed the people gathered there in Hindi and said that one

must talk the language the other person understands, not gets impressed with.

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3 Mitesh Makwana, a resident participating in the discussion

Makwana Mitesh, a resident of the town in continuation of the moderator’s speech, told everyone that

Gandhi was not in hurry to join politics. Gandhi also wanted to travel in the country and understand the

problems of India and then only come in to public life. He visited his home towns in Porbandar and

Rajkot and then Shantiniketan in Bengal, the university by GuruvarRavindranath Tagore.

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4Sahelabanu, a student sharing her readings about Gandhiji

Sahelabanu, a student gave her valuable inputs of Gandhiji’s initial years in India. She said, “Gandhiji

had an experience of South Africa of the Ashram life. The experience of Tolstoy farm pushed him to

establish the same thing in India. Gandhiji first established Kochrab Ashram and then Sabarmati

Ashram.”

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5 Pathan Ibrahim Gulam, security officer sharing his inputs

Pathan Ibrahim Gulam, security officer of the YaatriNivas mentioned a brief timeline of Gandhiji from

1917 to 1947. He described Gandhiji’s first satyagrah in Champaran where he achieved the title of

Mahatma. Later Gandhiji did Satyagrah for Mill workers of Ahmedabad, peasants of Kheda, mass civil

disobedience campaign, non-cooperation movement, Dandi March-Salt Satyagrah, Poorna Swaraj-Quit

India movement and much. He used the tools of non-violence, fasting and spinning wheel to achieve his

goals.

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6 Teacher Afsanabanu gifting a book on Gandhiji's life to a participant

The teacher of the school, Afsanabanu Mohammad Haneef thanked TCGL for organizing such fruitful

discussion event at Amod and gifted the copies of a book on Gandhiji’s life to everyone who

participated in the event.

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7 Participants posing post event at the YaatriNivas in Amod

Thank You