Before Sabarmati, Kochrab ashram was Gandhi's first laboratory for social change

Ahmedabad: Long before Sabarmati Ashram became the nerve centre of India's freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi's initial experiments with social justice, equality and self-reliance took root at the colonial-style Kochrab Ashram, Gandhian scholars said on Friday.

Speaking about its historical significance, Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi noted that Bapu's decision to house a Dalit family at Kochrab sparked local backlash, ultimately compelling him to relocate across the city to set up Sabarmati Ashram in 1917.

While Sabarmati Ashram remains a must-visit site for tourists and dignitaries alike, the "Satyagrah Ashram" at Kochrab in Ahmedabad, founded by Gandhi in May 1915, became the first base for him to put into practice principles of truth, non-violence, simplicity and discipline, and champion the cause of social equality and self-reliance.


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"It was here that Gandhiji invited a Dalit family to reside, a move that sparked rebellion among many of his associates and led to his social ostracism, eventually compelling him to move to Sabarmati Ashram in June 1917, a little over two years later," said Tushar Gandhi, a noted author and human rights activist.

He said that because of Gandhi's move to invite a Dalit family to stay at Kochrab Ashram, restrictions were imposed preventing them from drawing water from the communal well.

"Bapu reasoned that if urban society would not allow them to live according to their principles, they should move to the other side of the city. This led to the establishment of Sabarmati Ashram," he said.

During his brief stay at the Satyagrah Ashram, Gandhi began implementing his core ideals - focusing on how to follow them, put them into practice, and integrate them into one's daily life, said Janak Singh Meena, a professor specialising in Gandhian thought at the Central University of Gujarat.

"From this ashram, Gandhi put the principles of truth, non-violence, simplicity, and discipline into practice, while voicing opposition to untouchability, and championing the cause of social equality and self-reliance, 'Swadeshi' (indigenous self-reliance) and self-sufficiency through the use of the 'takli' (hand spindle) and the 'charkha' (spinning wheel)," he said.

A colonial-style building with a white-washed facade, Kochrab Ashram also became the ground for his opposition to untouchability and advocacy for social equality and self-reliance, he said.

The Kochrab Ashram now houses a Gandhi Memorial Museum with a collection of artefacts associated with his life and historical photographs. It has a large portrait of Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba, along with those of Leo Tolstoy, John Ruskin and Shrimad Rajchandra, and some of the historical artefacts on display here are Gandhiji's iconic wooden writing desk and a wooden spinning wheel, 'charkha.'

Upon his return from South Africa, Gandhiji moved into the ashram at Paldi, Ahmedabad in May 1915. He renamed the structure, which stood in stark contrast to everything in the city, as 'Satyagraha Ashram'.

Two years later, he shifted to a piece of open land on the banks of the Sabarmati River and engaged in constructive activities, including cattle breeding, spinning khadi, and such, and became one of the main centres for the Indian freedom struggle. He stayed here till 1930.