Located roughly 180 km east of Mumbai is Pune, situated at the eastern edge of the Western ghats on the Deccan Plateau. Pune or the ‘Queen of the Deccan’ as it is also known on account of its old historical associations and picturesque surroundings, has been for long the capital of Maharashtra. It is on an altitude of 598 meters, surrounded by hills, valleys and historic forts and is important as a great cultural, social and political centre.
Situated near the River Mula, on the outskirts of Pune and 6 km away from Pune Railway Station on the Nagar Road, is the Aga Khan palace. It was built in 1892 by Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III. He was elected as the President of the League of Nations in 1938 and was well renowned in the field of politics and sports. This palace and the surrounding seven-acre land were donated to the Gandhi Smarka Nidhi in 1969 in the Gandhi Centenary year by Prince Karim Aga Khan IV as a mark of respect to Gandhiji and his philosophy.
The Aga Khan Palace is a combination of Muslim and French architecture and is built on 19 acres of land. The palace has Italianate arches and is a gracious building with salons and suites surrounded by well-laid out, beautiful gardens and sprawling lawns. It is more than just a palace.
During the 1942 Quit India Movement, Gandhi gave his call of ‘Do or Die’. On August 8, Gandhi and all Congress Working Committee members were arrested and taken by special train to the Aga Khan Palace. The British interned Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi in the Aga Khan Palace along with other Indian National Congress leaders who were imprisoned in here. And this served as quarters for imprisonment of Gandhi and Kasturba towards the tail end of the British rule in India.
Within a week of his imprisonment, on August 15, 1942, Gandhi lost one of his dearest friends Mahadeobhai Desai. Desai had been a pillar of support, a long time aide and his private secretary for 35 years. In this very Aga Khan palace, a distraught Gandhi willed his friend to open his eyes, “If only he opens his eyes and looks at me once, he won’t go”. Gandhi insisted on either handing the body to friends outside jail or performing the last rites himself. The Government gave in and a sorrowing Gandhi bathed and anointed his secretary’s body. “Mahadeo, I thought you would do this for me. Now I have to do it for you,” Gandhi sobbed. He then consigned the body of his beloved friend to flames.
On February 22, 1944, on a Mahashivaratri day, Gandhi suffered a second bereavement when his wife, Kasturba, died. Thus between 1942 and 1944, Mahatma Gandhi lost two of his closest allies both at the Aga Khan palace.
With his own hands, Gandhi built the ‘samadhis’ or tombs for them. The two tombs repose under the ancient tamarind trees in the palace grounds. Their ashes are kept here and a marble memorial of Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadeobhai Desai. After his death, Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were also laid next to these ‘samadhis’. It is now marked by a marble ‘tulsi vrindavan’.
The Aga Khan Palace is now a place of pilgrimage for national and international tourists and known the world over as a national memorial of ‘Ba’ and ‘Bapu’. The palace encompasses within its mute walls, memories of tryst – the collective will and determination of men and women who brought down the British Empire.
A spacious hall named the Kasturba Smriti Mandir, is built near the ‘samadhis’, which is used for holding meetings and seminars throughout the year. There is a fruit orchard near the ‘samadhis’, which beautifies the entire site. Adjoining the orchard is a farm where fruits and vegetables are grown
The palace houses a Picture Gallery Museum. There is an exhibition in five rooms of the palace which gives a glimpse into Gandhi’s life and depicts important events in the freedom struggle. The exhibits are photographs, posters and some personal belongings of Gandhi, Kasturba and Mahadev Desai.
Though the photographic exhibition gives highlights of Gandhi’s long career, it is the simple personal effects and the personal tragedies of the Mahatma during this period that leaves the deepest impression, for here is the room where Kasturba spent her last days and took her last breath. There is the special cenotaph that honours Kasturba. There are Gandhi’s utensils, clothes and his personal effects like towel, 'mala' [garland], 'chappals' [slippers] that he used during his stay in the palace. The chair on which Mahadeo breathed his last, the dinning table where they used to have their meals, the room in which Gandhi used to give science lessons to his granddaughter and a letter written by Gandhiji on the death of his dear secretary, are some of the attractions in the palace.
The management of the ‘samadhis’, the museum, and the palace campus was transferred to the Gandhi National Memorial society in 1980. The society has been trying to make this place a living memorial to Kasturba Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi by organizing a number of activities throughout the year.
The Gandhi National Memorial society does work for the upliftment of weaker section of society, especially women. The palace houses one of the most comprehensive research, reference libraries and documentation entire on Gandhian philosophy. Today the campus is always busy with meetings, seminars and conferences. The use of the premises is extended for activities promoting the message of National Integration and Social Development of women and children. All the activities on the campus spread the Gandhian message of Truth and Non-Violence making it a Living Memorial.
There is the Mahadev Printing Press as a mark of respect to Late Shri Mahadev Desai. This press was started in 1983. The principle objective is to provide training and occupation to needy women.
Believe it or not, there is a full-fledged nursery school which is divided into Junior and Senior nursery classes and named ‘Madhurika’. It was established in 1982 in memory of late Mira Ben whose real name was Miss Slaid. She was the disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi had wished that this campus should work for the training and development of women. To make this reality a National Institute for Women was established in 1980. There is the Rural Social Worker’s training here and the main purpose is to train and prepare a cadre of young women social workers who will be willing to undertake work in community services as rural, constructive and social workers. So far, more than 500 young girls are working in the rural areas of the country spreading the Gandhian thought.
The Kasturba Mahila Khadi Gramodyog Vidyalaya for women is recognized and financed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission. This is the only institution to train women khadi workers. The training is for a period of 10 months. Here 35 women from all over the country are admitted every year. A shop attached here sells khadi or cotton handloom garments and textiles.
There is a Masala Training Unit [‘masala’ meaning spice] to train the women in spice making so that they become self-sufficient. Vocational training for women to train them in tailoring, embroidery and readymade garments is also provided. There is also a course in fruit and vegetable processing and preservation. The House Helpers Training provides intensive training in house keeping work to needy women. To top it, the society also helps in personality development. Specialized training is also provided in childcare, old age and catering services. All such training helps destitute women seeking shelter and employment. In here is also the Refugee Guidance Centre – a small cell that has been established at the campus in 1997 for helping the United Nation registered refugees living in Pune. Guidance, Counseling, Rehabilitation and other humanitarian services are offered to refugee families for social integration.
There is the Energy Park where the use of solar energy is demonstrated by installing solar cookers, heaters, streetlights, and fountains. This park was established with the help of Ministry of Renewable Energy, New Delhi. There are also the local, national and international level seminars and workshops on various issues relating to women.
The palace is closed on Sundays and is open daily from 09.00 to 18.00 hours with lunch break from 12.30 to 13.30 hours. One can spend the entire day here going through this interesting palace and getting to know what was history!
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Shanti who is based in Mumbai, has been a small time television serial producer. She has received a national award from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, New Delhi, for her Hindi telefilm on the subject ‘Right Age of Marriage’, which has been dubbed into ten regional languages. An English literature graduate, and with more than a dozen diplomas in various fields, she now has taken to writing full-time, and is into story writing, travel writing, study materials, and features for Inflight and other magazines. Photography has been her passion since her school days.
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