SEVAGRAM AASHRAM

Sevagram is a small village near Wardha town (8 km). Mahatma Gandhi reached the village on the 30th April,1936 early in the morning at about 5 a.m. He remained here for about five to six days. He called the villagers and the purpose of his visit and sought their permission to settle down here. He had no intention to keep anybody with him except his wife Kasturba. However slowly pressure of work necessitated permission to more colleagues till Sevagram Ashram also became a full-fledged institution.

He was 67 years when he came to Sevagram. In those days the village was surrounded by forest on all sides. Snakes and scorpions were a common feature. There was only one footpath or cart track to Wardha. No post-office or telegraph office existed. There letters used to be brought from Wardha. There is another village in this region named Shegaon, made famous by the residence of Saint Gajanan Maharaj. Hence Gandhiji’s letters used to get misdirected. Therefore, it was decided in 1940 to name this village as SEVAGRAM or the village of service.

Ashram Huts

Meera Ben (Miss Madelene Slade) was already settled in Sevagram before Gandhiji. At that time there was not even an approach road for the village. One make-shift road was soon constructed. A metalled road was constructed by the Government, when a Congress ministry was formed in the Central Provinces in 1937 under the scheme of provincial autonomy.

Gandhiji had put one condition for the construction of his hut (now known as Adi Niwas). Not more than Rs.500/ be spent on the hut and it be built with material available to serve food to inmates and then used to take his meals. He lived in one corner of the hut.

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