GANDHI NIRVAN DAY
In January 1948, Mahatma Gandhi’s remains first arrived at Narhari Parikh’s Haveli in Kameshwar-ni-Pol in Khadia before it was immersed in the Sabarmati river. Today, Parikh’s haveli is the only physical link of Bapu that has survived in the walled city.
On Monday, to mark Gandhi’s death anniversary, heritage conservationists from Khadia will observe a five-minute silence at this haveli. Through their silence, the conservationists will raise a demand for this structure’s restoration.
A freedom fighter, who has researched on various spots in walled city where Gandhiji resided, 92-year-old Ashok Thakur said, “Most of the places in walled city where Bapu spent some time have crumbled away. Parikh’s haveli is the only memoir, also a part of the Kranti Yatra Heritage Walk, which has survived and now needs to be restored.”
Thakur, along with historian Niru Desai, has designed the route of Kranti Yatra that features 28 heritage structures from which many are connected to Bapu’s memories. For designing this route, Thakur did an extensive research for one and a half year on various heritage structures of walled city which are connected with freedom struggle and Gandhiji.
Demand to restart Kranti Yatra raised
“None of the havelis where Bapu resided during his lifetime has survived,” says Ashutosh Bhatt, founder secretary of Khadia Itihas Samiti. “While Bapu was in Ahmedabad to appear for metrics’ examination during before he went to Africa, he resided at Mankiwala ni Haveli at Relief Road. That haveli no longer exists. After the ’20s when Bapu was first given Jai Samman, which was a first-ever official honour at state-level, he many a times stayed at Surendrarai Mendh’s haveli in Aka Sheth Kuva-ni-Pol. That haveli has also crumbled to dust. State and city authorities have also failed to conserve Navi Gujarati Shala – which was given title of Rashtriya Shala by Bapu. Bapu taught at this school.”
Thus many of the monumental heritage structures and havelis connected with Bapu have been lost. “Members of Kahdia Itihas Samiti have demanded that Kranti Yatra must be resumed again and the only haveli which is part of Yatra’s route and where Bapu’s remains were kept needs to be conserved,” says Bhatt.
