On Monday, on the occasion of the 69th death anniversary of Mahtama Gandhi, if you head to his samadhi at Rajghat to pay obeisance to the Father of the Nation, you will find as many as 30 of his famous quotes and inspiring thoughts engraved on marble slabs and mounted on granite blocks dotting the three entrance gates.
This is part of the facelift that Bapu’s samadhi has undergone specifically keeping in mind the increase in the number of visitors to the site.
A revamped security set-up has also been put in place.
“For the first time, a 157-word brief profile of Gandhi and a 131-word description of Gandhi samadhi have been put on display, both in Hindi and English, at all the gates of Rajghat,” an official said.
While the renovated samadhi will be inaugurated and thrown open to the visitors, a special edition of the Rajghat Samadhi Patrika, commemorating the 100th year of the Champaran Satyagraha, will also be released by Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on the occasion.
The renovation work was undertaken by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) in association with the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) and Rajghat Samadhi Samiti.
“For more than 10,000 domestic and foreign visitors who visit Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi at Rajghat daily, there is nothing much to engage them about his life and thoughts other than the black stone platform that marks the spot where Gandhiji was cremated,” said an official of Urban Development Ministry.
The profile says Mahatma espoused “Truth, Non-violence, Sarvadharma Samabhava, Gram Swaraj, Trusteeship and Swadeshi which are the building blocks of a new social order free from all kinds of exploitation, discrimination and domination”.
The profile on Rajghat says, “The Samadhi reflects the simplicity of Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi’s life”.
“30 Amrit Vachans (eternally relevant thoughts of Gandhiji) have been engraved on marble and displayed on granite stone pedestals for inspiring the visitors to Rajghat,” said the official, adding these include “Innumerable are the names of God; but if a choice were to be made of one, it would be Sat or Satya, that is Truth. Hence, verily Truth is God”, “He, who is unable to rule over self, can never really succeed in ruling over others” and “He who is truly clean within, cannot remain unclean without”.
These pedestals have been designed to merge with the ambience and architecture of Rajghat and each pedestal has been illuminated by lED light atop aesthetically designed light post.
Other major initiatives taken up and executed during the last two years include setting up of Kasturba Gandhi Souvenir Store in the parking area for making available souvenirs related to Gandhi at reasonable prices, landscaping, regressing, improvement of water bodies and plantation, and laying of cobbled stone on the road between parking area of Rajghat and Samadhi to regulate speed of vehicles.
The security revamp consists of setting up of CISF Control Rooms near the main gates equipped with modern gadgets like DFMD, X-ray machines among others.
The last Rajghat improvement works were initiated during 1999-2000 by then Minister of Urban Development Minister Jagmohan and his successor Ananth Kumar. These works included relaying of pathways and parikrama, construction of compound wall on Western and Southern sides, renovation of water lagoon, redesigning of the entrances and gate on Ring Road side, development of shallow water body with fountain, development of separate parking area.
The DUAC had last year approved CPWD’s plans to give the memorial a facelift, after officials of both the organisations paid several visits to Rajghat. The work on the approved plan had begun in September last year.