Gandhi Centres and Institutions in India |
1. Gandhi Smriti and DarshanGandhi Smriti at 5, Tees January Marg, New Delhi is a national memorial, which treasures many memories of the last 144 days of his life. The exhibition on the Mahatma, the room he lived in and the prayer ground attract a large number of visitors every day. Situated close to the Gandhi Samadhi at Rajghat, on a 36-acre land, Gandhi Darshan offers a comprehensive exhibition on Gandhi spread out in four pavilions, films Auditorium, conference facilities for major national and international camps, children's corner and a library. For more information contact: Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti, 2. National Gandhi MuseumThe Museum is located very close to the memorial where Gandhi was cremated and housed galleries, displays, Gandhi literature Centre, Special Exhibition, Library, Photo Section, Audio Visual Section and more. For more information: National Gandhi Museum 3. Gandhi Research FoundationThe Foundation is the initiator and promoter of 'Gandhi Teerth', an international centre for Gandhian study, research and dialogue. Its core objective is to preserve and promote for posterity the Gandhian ideology and legacy. 'Gandhi Teerth' comprises Gandhi museum, Gandhi International Research Institute, Gandhi archives, publications, and various programmes for rural development based on Gandhian lines. The foundation has a collection of 7350 books, 4090 periodicals, 4019 photographs, 75 films, 148 audio recordings of Mahatma Gandhi's speeches, and philately items from 114 countries. The Museum is located at Jalgaon, Maharashtra which is well connected by road and rail to the rest of India. The nearest domestic airport is Aurangabad (50 kms/31 miles). Nearest international airport is Mumbai. Road distance between Mumbai and Jalgaon is approx. 415 kms/257 miles. For more information contact: Gandhi Research Foundation 4. G. R. Institute of NonviolenceParanthal (PO), Pathanamthitta (District), Kerala 698518, India. 5. Centre for Gandhian StudiesA place to study about Gandhi's philosophy and nonviolence. 6. Sampurn Kranti VidyalayaPost: Vedchhi, District: Surat, Gujarat, Pin-394641, India. 7. Dept. of Gandhian StudiesManohar Lal Sharma, Chairperson 8. Department of Gandhian Thought & Peace ScienceGandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu 624302, India. 9. Department of Gandhian StudiesBhagalpur University, Bhagalpur, Bihar 812007, India. 10. Gandhi Adhyayan PeethMahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Tel. No.: 91-0542-2226194 11. Gandhigram Rural Institute - Deemed UniversityGandhigram 624302, Dindigul Dist., Tamil Nadu, India. 12. Mahatma Gandhi Centre479, Kamarajar Road, Varadarajapuram, Coimbatore, 641015, Tamil Nadu, India 13. Dept. of Gandhian StudiesMadurai Kamaraj University, 2, Vallabhai Road, Madurai 625021, Tamil Nadu, India. 14. The Valliammal InstituteGandhi Museum, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 625020, India. 15. Banwasi Seva Ashram The Ashram, situated in Uttar Pradesh is an outstanding example of a Gandhian voluntary organization, which has realised Gandhi's vision of a self-sufficient village. The work done by the Banwasi Seva Ashram in Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh, India shows that antodaya i.e attention to the poorest of the poor is the pathway to sarvodaya (Welfare of all). The Gram Swaraj movement promoted by Gandhiji and by Vinoba Bhave provided the framework for the programmes of the Ashram. Mahatma Gandhi's vision of an ideal village was: " A complete republic independent of its neighbours for its vital wants and yet interdependent for any wants in which dependence is a necessity." Mahatma Gandhi would be proud of the Banwasi Seva Ashram. His vision of enlightened confident and self-sufficient villagers running their own lives has become a reality. Wastelands have become fertile oases; water flows freely in once arid, drought prone wastes. The Banwasi Seva Ashram is an outstanding example of a Gandhian voluntary organization (NGO). There are some 700 such social action groups throughout the length and breadth of India. Their aim is to establish a social order based on harmony, non-exploitation and decentralization and to put into practice Gandhi's conviction that village self-sufficiency is vital for the country's development. The Ashram was set up in 1954 in one of the most impoverished and least developed regions of India: the remote district of Sonbhadra in the North Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. The objective was to focus on the predominantly tribal population of this densely populated state of around 140 million people (1991 census). The Ashram's initial activities focussed on providing relief to the victims of the drought which had hit Sonbhadra in 1952. Afterwards the Ashram began organizing development programmes to help resettle the drought victims, such as the sinking of wells, village sanitation, the establishment of a few schools and various cottage industries. The Ashram has been more successful than most in realizing Mahatma Gandhi's dream of empowering India's rural poor. With a full time staff of 247, the ashram's complex itself has become a small self-sufficient village with shops, schools, hostels, a clinic, post office, bank, demonstration farm, library, workshops and vocational training centre. More than half the staff are local people, some of whom are working in the field at fifteen sub-centres which are responsible for a cluster of 20 to 30 villages. The villagers cooperate and share life with each other, convinced that the welfare of every individual is the concern of all. They have developed self-confidence, courage, an awareness of their rights, a thirst for knowledge and an indomitable spirit. But it has been a uphill struggle for all concerned - a struggle that continues to this day. Dr. Ragini Prem, who favours a group leadership, heads the Ashram now. Address: Govindpur (via Turra), Sonbhadra 231 221, U.P., India. Tel.: +91-5447-85224 Source: The Banwasi Seva Ashram by Elizabeth Hoddy 16. Mahatma Gandhi Kashi VidyapithVaranasi 221 002, India. 17. Institute of Gandhian StudiesGandhi Vichar Parishad, Gopuri, Wardha 442001, Maharashtra, India. 18. Kasturba Gandhi Rashtriya SmarakKasturba Gram, Khandava Road, Indore 452020, M.P., India. 19. Visarjan AshramNavlakha Chauraha, A.B. Road, Indore 452001, M.P., India. 20. Gandhi BhavanShyamala Hills, Near Polytechnic, Bhopal 462002, M.P., India. 21. Mahatma Gandhi DarshanA new Gandhian institute has been established in Korba district, Chhattisgarh. The purpose of establishing the institute is to spread the principles of Gandhiji's thoughts. This area is a tribal zone. This institute propogate Gandhian Thoughts through their Library, Photographs and other resources. Address: Mahatma Gandhi Darshan 22. Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, HaryanaSwadhyay Ashram, Pattikalyana, Tah. Samalkha, Dist: Panipat, Haryana 132102, India. 23. Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, PunjabGandhi Smarak Bhavan, Sector 16-A, Chandigarh, India. Tel. +91-172-2770 976 24. Gandhi Peace Foundation221-223 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi 110002, India. |