Ahmedabad, October 02: Remembering Bapu on his 150th birth anniversary today, the students in Gujarat, all over from government run primary schools moved up wring letters to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram where he taught precepts of non-violence to nearly 30,000 students then.
The initiative, being launched by the trust of Sabarmati Ashram, set up by the Mahatma in 1917 on his return from South Africa, the concept has given a food for thought to the young minds who have been penning down their feelings on postcards.
"We have so far received around 15,000 postcards, and hope to receive as many more in coming days. Hundreds of postcards are coming in every day. They were given postcards, and asked to write whatever they would like to tell the Mahatma, and dispatch the missives to Sabarmati Ashram", said Sabarmati Ashram's director Atul Pandya on Wednesday.
“Dear Gandhiji, I would like to apologise to you…we have failed you. Violence is all I see when I open my eyes… My soul cries for my brothers and sisters of Kashmir who have suffered ever since the formation of free India… ”, read a letter written to Gandhi. “Bapu, would you come back to India for India’s independence if you were not thrown out from the train in South Africa?", the other one read. While another one posed a question about what had Gandhi done if he was alive in 21st century!
"We tied up with the Gujarat government to teach students the virtues of non-violence, which is also a way of understanding Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy. The ashram trust has put together an activity manual, which tells how non-violence can be practised in daily life. Non-violence is an idea that needs to be inculcated among students at a young age", Pandya opined.
Letters were an important part of chronicling the Independence movement and Gandhi is known to have frequently communicated through them. At the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the museum displays prints of covers of several letters written to Gandhi.