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| Mohandas K. Gandhi. Freedom fighter twitter.com |
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| Gandhiji,change of attire,West Masi St.house.Madurai Hindu.com |
The house at 251, West Masi stret where Gandhi stayed is a historical one. On 22 September 1921 Mohan Das K. Gandhi emerged from the house wearing loin cloth in order to be identified with the poor mass. The visit made him more spiritually rejuvenated with better and focused vision to carry on his struggle to free India from the British yoke.
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| Gandhi Museum, Madurai, TN Wikipedia |
Tomorrow the country will be celebrating his 149th birth anniversary. What about the houses in Madurai that hosted him long ago during the colonial period? Several media reports appeared in the past about the poor conditions of those houses. Neither the state government nor the Central government has taken steps to preserve them. The congress leaders in Tamil Nadu are busy with their internal squabbles and have no time time to save the houses from ruin. two houses have already disappeared and their places are taken over by modern buildings. Of the remaining three, two are in bad condition.
In 1919, Gandhi came to Madurai for the first time to canvas support against the Rowlatt Act. He stayed in the house of advocate and trade unionist George Joseph near Kalpalam. The house is gone; the other one at Krishnarayar Teppam street, the same story continues. A tractor workshop stands in the spot at the above address. However, the house where Gabdhji stayed in 1934 is being maintained by the descendants of N M R Venkatesan, elder brother of Subburaman who hosted Gandhiji. The house of Raja of Sivaganga, is on the premises of Sri Meenakshi Government College for Women. The room where Gandhiji stayed houses a small museum. This building is too crumbling due to poor maintenance. Here, the Raja of Sivaganga was Gandhiji's host.
As for the West Masi street house, it was once owned by Gujarati business man Ramji Kalyanji and presently a Khadi Bhavan is functioning, selling honey, soap, etc. the first floor has some pictures of Gandhiji and his bust image. The upkeep of the Khadi shop and the green colored building is pretty bad. Because of sheer negligence, the walls and shutter doors are shabby and the first floor portion where Gandhiji stayed is under lock and key most of the time. The stairway and first floor Veranda overlooking the ever busy West Masi street are thickly coated with dust and it shows years of poor upkeep and lack of maintenance. Part of building in the backyard collapsed years ago. The workers in the Khadi shop clean up the place only on important occasions like Gandhi Jayanthi day, etc., that may attract higher ups from the Collector office.
People here have no idea about the history behind this building.
Many old timers, in particular, Gandhians in the city expressed their anguish and resentment over the poor condition of the houses associated with Gandhi.Through out India countless monuments are either rotting or being maintained poorly. Many of them fall prey to vandalism and abuse by unwanted people in the society. The Government should take serious steps to preserve such historical monument that may attract lots of tourists, besides, they will be beneficial to the future generation.
National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi, Gandhi Museum, Madurai and the Madurai district administration are working hard to make the house on West Masi Street a National Monument by 2018. Till such time, there is no stopping of dust gathering on the structure that saw the change of attire of Gandhiji and his attitude towards the repressive British rule.
Ref:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Mahatmas-abodes-in-Madurai-falling-apart/articleshow/23378471.cms
West Masi Street's Forgotten Mahatma, The Hindu dtd.october 01, 2017.