Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Book Launch

Shri Vasant Pradhan, Shri Kumar Ketkar, Dr. Shanti Patel, Dr. Rohini Gawankar at the book launch of Jinku Kinwa Maru at Mani Bhavan on 7th Dec., 2009.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Lecture on 'Mahatma Gandhi and Terrorism' by Prof. Douglas Allen




Prof. Douglas Allen will give lecture on ' Mahatma Gandhi and Violence and Terrorism Today' , on Tuesday 15th Decmeber, 2009 at 3:p.m. at Mani Bhavan , 19 Laburnum Road, Gamdevi, Mumbai 400007.

Prof. Allen is Professor of Philosophy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA. His most recent books are Myth and Religion in Mircea Eliade, Comparative Philosophy and Religion in Times of Terror and The Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi for Twenty-First Century. Prof. Allen is in India on a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellowship at Mani Bhavan to do research on ' Mahatma Gandhi and Violence,Terrorism and the Contemporary World.'

Monday, October 26, 2009

Relevant article written by Shri K.G.Mashruwala

Kishorlal Mashruwala (1890-1952) was born in Mumbai and did his early education from Akola and Mumbai. In 1909, he graduated from Wilson College, Mumbai. He was a close associate of Gandhiji. In 1930 he participated in Salt Satyagraha and Quit India Movement in 1942. He felt that constructive work is a necessary counterpart of non cooperation movement.

As an editor of Harijan in 1950, he wrote a relevant article in Harijan, dated February 12 1950, under the title ‘You Have Let Down Gandhiji’. Here is an extract from the article written by Shri Mashruwala.

“The charge of having let down Gandhiji has become a fashionable utterance because so many of us have cultivated the opposite habit of making Gandhiji and sarvodaya and truth and non-violence hackneyed phrases. Every leader and every minister seems to regard himself as on insecure ground unless he says, “This is what the Father of Nation taught us,” or, “ultimately the good of the world consists in taking to Gandhiji’s way of life.”

It will be far better if, instead of constantly referring to the Father of the Nation, we humbly rely upon Truth and Love within us. For whatever Gandhiji said or did came to him from his quest of Truth and sprang from non-violence. And though the Mahatma is no longer with us, the light which guided him is always there to guide us, if we have the will to accept it.”

-K.G. Mashruwala

Friday, October 9, 2009

Bhajan Programme on Gandhi Jayanti 2009

Smt. Neela Bhagwat, children from Happy Home School for Blind and other schools from Mumbai sang bhajans on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti 2009.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Gandhi and Parsis

Last month Mani Bhavan hosted an interesting talk on Gandhi and Parsis by Dinyar Patel. He also spoke on the role of Parsis in the Indian freedom movement. A very enthralling lecture.

Below is an excerpt from an article, Gandhiji addressed to the Parsis, published in Young India dated 23-3-1921.

DEAR FRIENDS,

I know that you are following with considerable interest the present non-co-operation movement. You may know, too, that all thoughtful non-co-operators are anxiously waiting to see what part you are going to play in the process of purification through which the whole country is passing. I, personally, have every reason to have full faith in your doing the right thing when the moment for making the final choice comes to you. And I address these few words to you because I feel that, probably, that moment has now arrived.

Apart from your being fellow-countrymen, I am bound to you by many sacred ties. Dadabhai ( Dadabhai Naoroji )was the first patriot to inspire me. He was my guide and helper when I did not know any other leader. It was to him that I bore, when yet a boy, a letter of introduction.( This was in 1888 when Gandhiji went to England to study for the Bar).
It was the late uncrowned king of Bombay, Sir Pherozeshah Mehta who led me in 1896 and showed me the way to work. It was he who, (when I wanted to give battle to a Political Agent as far back as 1892), restrained my youthful ardour and taught me the first practical lesson in ahimsa in public life. He taught me not to resent personal wrongs if I would serve India.
A Parsi merchant in Durban, Rustomjee Ghorkhodoo, was among my most valued clients and friends in South Africa. He gave freely to thepublic cause, and he and his brave son were the first among my fellow prisoners. He gave me shelter when I was lynched,and now, too, he is following the swaraj movement with considerable interest and has just donated Rs. 40,000 to it.
In my humble opinion, probably the first woman in India today is a Parsi woman ( presumably Gandhiji refers to Mrs. Jaijee Petit, wife of Jehangir Bomanjee Petit ) gentle as a lamb, with a heart that holds the whole humanity. To have her friendship is the rarest privilege of life.

M. K. GANDHI

Young India, 23-3-1921

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Kathryn Hadley has written two a very interesting articles in History Today Magazine, on Gandhi and Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum, Mumbai. I'am posting both the articles in this blog . Also giving the link of her site for more articles on Gandhi.
http://historytodaymagazine.blogspot.com/search/label/india

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Gandhi's Letter to Hitler

by Kathryn Hadley
The soaring sales of Mein Kampf in India are somewhat worrying. The claims in the article on the website of The Telegraph that India and Nazi Germany influenced one another and that Gandhi corresponded with Hitler himself are also disturbing and shatter the image of Gandhi in popular imagination as a representative and fervent defender of justice and equality.
Yesterday's article does not, however, provide any details as to what the exchange of letters between Gandhi and the Fuhrer was about, nor how often the two men were in contact with one another.
Over Christmas, I visited Mani Bhavan, Mahatma Gandhi's residence in Mumbai between 1917 and 1934, where one of his original letters to Hitler was displayed. This letter was hugely significant... Written on July 23rd 1939, as Hitler's designs for German expansion in Eastern Europe became increasingly apparent, Gandhi urged Hitler to prevent the advent of the Second World War. On March 15th 1939, the German Army had notably invaded Czechoslovakia and a week later Hitler demanded the return of the Free City of Danzig to Germany. In April, Hitler renounced the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact and on May 22nd Germany and Italy signed the Pact of Steel, which reasserted cooperation between the two countries and encouraged a joint military and economic policy.
'It is quite clear to me that you are today the one person in the world whocan prevent a war which may reduce humanity to the savage state. Must youpay that price for an object however worthy it may appear to you tobe?'
For more information on the period leading up to the Second World War see the 'Road to War' section of our focus page on the Second World War.


Friday, 30 January 2009

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi lives on

by Kathryn Hadley
‘History is replete with instances of men who by dying withcourage and compassion on their lips converted the hearts of their violentopponents.’ (Gandhi)
61 years ago today, Gandhi was shot whilst taking his evening public walk around the grounds of Birla House in New Delhi. The assassin was Nathuram Godse, a Hindu radical who had links with the Hindu extremist group Hindu Mahasabha, which notably blamed Gandhi for weakening India and sacrificing Hindu interests by insisting upon payment to Pakistan. He immediately surrendered himself to the police and was put on trial. He was sentenced to death for murder and hanged at Ambala Jail, on November 15th 1949.On the night of Gandhi’s assassination, President Pandit Nehru broadcast a radio address to the nation:
‘Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that; nevertheless, we will not see him again, as we have seen him for these many years, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not only for me, but for millions and millions in this country.’Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi or ‘Great Soul’, an honorific allegedly first given to him by the poet, playwright, novelist and composer Rabindranath Tagore. Gandhi is also referred to in India as Bapu ‘Father’ and is honoured as the Father of the Nation.Although 61 years ago to this day India may have been plunged into darkness, the light of Gandhi still shines brightly. In India, January 30th is observed as Martyr’s Day in remembrance of those who gave their lives in service of the Indian nation. His birthday, on October 2nd, is also commemorated as a national holiday in India. In June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted October 2nd as an International Day of Non-Violence. Mahatma Gandhi was named 1930 Man of the Year by Time magazine and, in 1996, the government of India introduced the Mahatma Gandhi series of currency notes. Statues have been erected in his memory all over the world. There is notably a statue in Tavistock Square, near University College London, where he studied law.There exists a wide variety of resources devoted to Gandhi in India and worldwide. Mani Bhavan, Gandhi’s residence in Mumbai from 1917 to 1934, has an extensive library with a large collection of books both read and written by Gandhi. It also has a very comprehensive website.Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, 19 Laburnum Road, Gamdevi, Mumbai. www.gandhi-manibhavan.org

Monday, April 6, 2009

National Week Programme 2009

Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya & Gandhi Smarak has organised programmes for National Week, from 6th April 2009 to 13th April 2009 at Mani Bhavan, 19 Laburnum Road, Gamdevi, Mumbai - 400 007

Programmes:
8-4-2009, at 3:00 p.m.
Recitation of Ashram Bhajans by Smt. Madhavi Nanal.

9-4-2009, at 3:00 p.m.
Sanskrit story telling on the episodes in the life of Mahatma Gandhi by students of Devwani Mandiram.

13-4-2009, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Exhibition of selected entries of ‘ Gandhi Scrapbook Competition” . Courtesy Janmabhoomi .

Monday, March 30, 2009

Martin Luther King III in Mani Bhavan

We have posted some interesting pictures of Martin Luther King III's visit to Mani Bhavan on 19th February,2009. He was accompanied by his wife , Congressman John Louis and other dignitaries from USA. He was here to mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Pilgrimage to India in 1959.

Martin Luther King III's visit to Mani Bhavan











Monday, March 23, 2009

A Blot On Bombay

Here is an interesting text written by Gandhiji.

‘A BLOT ON BOMBAY’
" Bombay has been called Bombay the beautiful. If Bombay means merely Malabar Hill and Chowpati and beauty is to be referred only to the exterior, then Bombay is certainly beautiful. But if the heart of Bombay is penetrated, like most of our cities it is ugly both in appearance and reality. The indifference of city fathers to the milk supply of their city is truly criminal and the facts carefully compiled in the foregoing letter do constitute a “blot” on Bombay the beautiful. But it seems to me to be useless merely to blame the members of the Municipality. They are after all what the voters make them. If Bombay is to have a cheap supply of pure milk the education of the voters should be undertaken on a wide scale. They should be taught never to vote for any candidate who does not pledge himself to secure a proper milk supply for the city in the quickest possible time."
Young India, 29-11-1928

Monday, March 16, 2009

Martin Luther King III visits Mani Bhavan


King III feels 'the spirit of the Mahatma'
20 Feb 2009, 0223 hrs IST, Mohammed Wajihuddin, TNN
Times of India
MUMBAI: Fifty years after American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr and his wife Coretta Scott visited Gandhi museum - Mani Bhavan on
leafy Laburnum Road, Martin Luther King III retraced his parents' steps on Thursday. Accompanied by wife Andrea and prominent American civil rights leaders, King III spent about two hours at the historic wooden building, chatting with staff and the media. He came out "feeling the spirit of the Mahatma''. After Mani Bhavan's president Shanti Patel received the delegation with the traditional garland of yarn spun on a charkha, King III was taken to the room where his parents had stayed for two days in 1959. "My father said people visited India as tourists but he came to India as a pilgrim. Today my wife and I are honoured to be here,'' he said. "Gandhi told us how to love and how to forgive. The tragedy of 26/11 showed we have not learnt enough from his message.'' He heads Realising the Dream, an NGO. In order to continue with the unfinished work of his parents, King III works for civil rights even today. "I remember passing by an amusement park called Fun Town as a child and I would ask my father why I couldn't enter. "We are working on that,'' he would say,'' recalls King III, the second child of his parents. Also present was Congressman John Lewis who was racially discriminated against and was once beaten up by a white American. He said both Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr helped change the history of the US. "Had it not been for Gandhi and King Jr, America would not have an African-American as its president. Remember, 40 years ago, blacks were not even allowed to register and vote,'' said Lewis, whom speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi once called "the conscience of the US Congress''. Usha Thakkar, Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya's honorary secretary, gifted copies of Gandhi's autobiography and Gandhian Usha Mehta's book `The Multi-Dimensional Thought of Mahatma Gandhi' to King III as well as other guests as mementos.

Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagavat Gita

"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day." - Mahatma Gandhi

Your website is divine beautiful, informative and Excellent.

Mahatma Gandhi was the best Manager for the universal freedom.
Indian Vedic contribution is a reservoir of Vibrant Information and Harmonious Creativity. May the Womb of Nature Embrace all with Tranquil Blessings from this day forward. Let this attract one's attention affecting them Positively. It is a Sanctuary of the Self , a Creative Venue which serves as an Enduring Expression of Lightness, where a peaceful Atmosphere with Sunlight Flows and serene atmosphere prevail.
In the storm of life we struggle through myriads of stimuli of pressure, stress, and muti-problems that seek for a solution and answer. We are so suppressed by the routine of this every life style that most of us seem helpless. However, if we look closely to ancient techniques we shall discover the magnificent way to understand and realize the ones around us and mostly ourselves. If only we could stop for a moment and allow this to happen. May all beings be happy (Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu)
The ancient Hindu philosophy of keepiing mind and body for the well being, has entered the managerial, medical and judicial domain of the world. Today it has found its place as an alternative to the theory of modern management and also as a means to bring back the right path of peace and prosperity for the human beings. Let me bow to Indian Maharishi Veda Vysa with folded hands who helped in removing the impurities of the mind through his writings on Vedas, impurities of speech through his writings on puranas, and impurities of body through his writings on other sacred texts.LORD

Article by M.P. Bhattathiri, Retired Chief Technical Examiner , to The Govt. of Kerala.

Friday, January 23, 2009

30th January is the 61st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi .
Gandhiji was assassinated on 30th January, 1948 at 5:17 pm . He was going for his prayer meeting in the lawns of Birla House, where he was staying . Birla House is situated at Albuquerque Road now known as Tees January Marg, New Delhi. The bullets hit Gandhi directly in his abdomen and chest. He died instantly . His body was kept on the terrace of Birla Bhavan all through the night for the people to pay their homage to the great man.
Following the Hindu custom, Gandhi was cremated on the next day by the Jamuna River ( Rajghat ) New Delhi. The cortege left Birla House at Albuquerque Road, New Delhi at 11:45am , it passed through Queensway( Janpath), Kingsway( Rajpath ), Hardinge Avenue( Tilak Road ) and Bela Road ( Ring Road ) on its way to Rajghat. It reached Rajghat at 4:20p.m.
For more detail write up on The Last Journey, please click here http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/eduresources/chap3.htm.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year Greetings

New year Greetings from Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya


" The past belongs to us but we do not belong to the past. We belong to the present. We are makers of the future, but we do not belong to the future."
- M.K.Gandhi
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