Gandhi memorial stone (Varanasi)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gandhi memorial stone on the BHU site in Varanasi (2002)

The Gandhi memorial stone on the grounds of the Benares Hindu University in Varanasi commemorates Mahatma Gandhi's visit to the university and to the house of V.A. Sundaram in January 1942. The stone marks a place in the garden of Sundaram's house where Gandhi said a ritual prayer. Gandhi visited the house several times, from which it is called "Gandhi Bhawan" (Gandhi house).

In some online maps the memorial stone can be found as a sight with the designation "Gandhi Chabutara" (or Chabutra) (roughly translated: prayer platform).

Gandhi's visit in 1942

On January 21, 1942, Gandhi came to Benares Hindu University (BHU) as a guest of honor on the occasion of their silver jubilee. Gandhi had closely followed the development of the BHU since it was founded in 1916 and was on friendly terms with the university's founder Madan Mohan Malaviya. Gandhi's contact with Malaviya was in many cases promoted through V.A. Sundaram. He was also Malaviya's personal secretary and Gandhi's long-time student and confidante.

Gandhi gave a keynote address that day and paid a visit to Sundaram that evening. His house was only a few steps behind Malaviya's house and Gandhi was already familiar from previous visits. At Sundaram's request, Gandhi attended an evening ritual prayer ("Sandhyavandana") held by the family in the garden of the house.

At the exact point where Gandhi said the prayer, Sundaram had the massive memorial stone erected after his death in 1948. A marble plaque on the side of the stone indicates the motif (inscription in Hindi, translated here):

The father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, visited Varanasi on the occasion of the silver jubilee of the Benaras Hindu University on January 21, 1942 and performed a sandhyavandana at this point.

VA Sundaram and house "Gandhi Bhawan"

C. Rajagopalachari (left) with V. A. Sundaram at the Gandhi memorial stone in front of Sundaram's house, 1948

Sundaram was one of Gandhi's earliest disciples and disciples in India at the age of 19. In 1915 and 1916 he lived in Gandhi's first Indian ashram in Kochrab near Ahmedabad . Later he became involved as an activist in the Indian independence movement and met Malaviya, whom he followed in early 1926 to Benares / Varanasi and to the BHU.

While looking for accommodation in Benares, Sundaram found a strange building under a tree ("marble room") on the largely undeveloped university campus, which had previously been inhabited by a sadhu . Sundaram obtained it with Malaviya's consent and gave it the name "Krishnakutir" (see the name plaque preserved at the side entrance of the house). Over the next 20 years, the university expanded the house to the size it is today for Sundaram and his family.

Sundaram received numerous well-known guests in-house, including Gandhi, leading independence activists, politicians, writers and scientists. The guest book signed and a. C. Rajagopalachari , S. Radhakrishnan , Vallabhbhai Patel , C. Vijayaraghavachariar, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, P.S. Sivaswami Iyer, C. Y. Chintamani, M.S. Aney, N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar , T. Raghavaiah, T. Vijayaraghavacharya, W. Somerset Maugham , James Cousins, KS Venkataramani, C. V. Raman , Birbal Sahni, Verrier Elwin, Pierre Cérésole , Ellen Wilkinson and the correspondents of many international newspapers.

One of the most prominent visitors to the house was India's head of state C. Rajagopalachari in 1948. As governor-general, he and Sundaram commemorated the memorial stone next to the house of Gandhi, who had recently died (see photo). Another visitor was travel book author Maximilian von Rogister from Germany. He got to know the house and the memorial in 1959 and told about it in his book “India is Different” (1964).

In 1999 the BHU presented a concept to transform the former houses of Malaviya and Sundaram into a heritage complex (“Heritage Complex”). Sundaram's house was named "Gandhi Bhawan", with reference to Gandhi's multiple visits and the memorial stone. This designation can currently be found in the address details of the current house user, the IGNOU Open University.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Gandhi Chabutara" on Google Maps (accessed November 9, 2018)
  2. ↑ cf. Chronologies of Mahatma Gandhi's life and work, etc. a. at gandhiserve.org (accessed November 9, 2018)
  3. ↑ Gandhi attended the BHU in 1916, 1920, 1921, 1929, 1934, 1936, 1939 and 1942 (see Gandhi Chronologies and Sundaram 1942). On Gandhi's friendship with Malaviya: Coll. Works, Vol. 28 / Doc. 30; Vol. 81 / Doc. 717, Vol. 93 / Doc. 70, as well as letters from Gandhi to Sundaram (see reference below)
  4. ↑ Coll. Works, Vol. 72 / Doc. 591; Vol. 75 / Doc. 312; Vol. 76 / Doc. 382; Vol. 92 / Doc. 498, Vol. 93 / Doc. 44; Vol. 93 / Doc. 172. During his professional years as Malaviya's secretary, Sundaram also frequently visited Gandhi personally, cf. Sundaram 1942
  5. ↑ For the location of the houses, see the BHU map on the university website (there: houses no. 11 and 13). Gandhi had previously visited Sundaram's house in 1934 and 1936: Sundaram 1942, p. 6 (link accessed November 9, 2018)
  6. ↑ Saraswati Albano-Müller 2001 and 2003. In Sundaram 1942 it is specified that it was an evening prayer ("Evening prayer")
  7. ↑ cf. Rogister 1964
  8. ↑ cf. Wikipedia (Eng.) V. A. Sundaram: Gandhi came to India in January 1915, Sundaram became one of his first disciples 4 months later
  9. ↑ a b c d Sundaram 1940
  10. ↑ Another photo of the same situation can be found on Wikipedia: V. A. Sundaram
  11. ↑ Rogister 1964
  12. ↑ "Heritage Complex" project shown on the BHU website (accessed November 9, 2018)
  13. ↑ IGNOU Regional Center Varanasi with the address "Gandhi Bhawan": http://rcvaranasi.ignou.ac.in/address/1 (accessed November 9, 2018)

swell

  • Sundaram, VA (1940). Alma mater . Benares Hindu University Press, Benares. (Pp. 1–4)
  • Sundaram, VA (1942). In the Service of the Motherland 1915-1942 , Benares. (Brochure, 16 pages)
  • Sundaram, VA (Ed., 1949) Homage to Malaviyaji , Benares Hindu University, Benares. (Pp. 2–4 and 57 f., On the close relationship between Gandhi and Malaviya). Online at BHU library, Mahamana Digital Library (accessed November 9, 2018)
  • The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (electronic book), New Delhi, Publications Division Government of India, 1999, 98 volumes. Online at various sources, e.g. B. gandhiserve.org
  • Rogister, Maximilian von (1964). India is different . Dörner, Düsseldorf. P. 385 f.
  • 2 radio interviews with Saraswati Albano-Müller , Sundaram's daughter (living in Germany since 1961), on German radio. In each case a description of Gandhi's visit to her parents' house in 1942: SWR 2, “Zeitgenossen”, May 6, 2001 (at 00:55); WDR 5, "Experienced Stories", Nov. 30, 2003 (at 11:12 am, link accessed November 9, 2018)

Coordinates: 25 ° 16 ′ 36.9 ″  N , 82 ° 59 ′ 49.2 ″  E