The little cottage, with its red-tiled roof and shady courtyard nestling under neem, mimosa and pomegranate trees, looks out onto a clearing. The Sabarmati flows quietly in front of it.
The only sounds around here are of twittering birds and chattering squirrels.
The complex is reverently maintained by a group of aging Gandhians who urge you to take off your shoes before entering the leader's modest home.
A walk through the rooms introduces you to the simple life Gandhiji led here. The ashram has hardly any furniture.
Gandhiji helped with the daily chores. He bathed in the Sabarmati and was often engaged in prayers, long walk and correspondence, when he was not working out strategies to help India gain her Independence.
At different times, the ashram was occupied by Mahadev Desai, Gandhiji's secretary, freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Mani Ben (Patel's daughter) and Miss Madelaine Slade (Mira Ben), the British woman who worked with Gandhi.
Image: Bapu's statue adds to the sense of peace at the ashram.
Also read: The leading Gandhians of our time
Advertisement
