AHMEDABAD: On Monday, the
Sabarmati Ashram quietly opened to
visitors but not many were noticed there. However, word has begun to spread in the city. On March 18, Sabarmati
Ashram trustees unanimously decided to close the ashram to visitors till the
Covid-19 pandemic situation eased up.
“This was the first time in the ashram’s history that the complex had closed to visitors. Even during the 1917-1918 epidemics, the Ashram was a hub of activity.
Many volunteers from the Ashram went into the field to help people,” said a senior ashram official.
Each day, more than 3,000 people visit the ashram, including international and domestic
tourists. Just before March 23, visitors numbers had fallen to between 800 and 1,000.
When
Gandhiji established his base in Ahmedabad in 1915 following his return from South Africa, he chose a bungalow at Kochrab village on the outskirts of the city. Two years later, in May 1917, a plague-like illness had broken out in the village and
Bapu decided to set up his new base at Sabarmati Ashram. Since Bapu’s death the ashram had never closed to visitors, even on public holidays.