Some of Madurai’s historic treasures hide in plain sight. One such example is Gandhi Pottal located on Kamaraj Salai.
Any inhabitant on this road will point to the spot in a jiffy. However, residents like S. Senthil will sigh after showing the direction. A devout Gandhian, he says much of the area around the pottal is still unclean. Hawkers from a nearby market continue to dump waste and the stench of urine is strong. Despite a hospital located adjacent to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the concept of hygiene is lost here.
On September 21, 1921, Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Madurai and decided to leave for Ramanathapuram the next day.
The day break became a moment etched in the Indian freedom struggle as Gandhi decided to abandon his exuberant Gujarati attire. He stripped down to the humble loin cloth and was making his way out of the city. Followers were stunned as he had donned three-piece suits during his days in South Africa. In order to explain his decision, he stopped on Kamaraj Salai and addressed the public in his iconic attire. This place came to be known as Gandhi Pottal.
In his weekly publication Navjivan , he wrote that he had given much thought to this decision. “On the way (from Madras to Madurai by train), I saw in our compartment crowds that were wholly unconcerned with what had happened. Almost without exception they were bedecked in foreign fineries. I entered into conversation with some of them and pleaded for Khadi. They shook their heads as they said, ‘We are too poor to buy Khadi and it is so dear.’ I realised the substratum of truth behind the remark. I had my vest, cap and full dhoti on. When these uttered only partial truth, the millions of compulsorily naked men, save for their langoti four inches wide and nearly as many feet long, gave through their limbs the naked truth. What effective answer could I give them, if it was not to divest myself of every inch of clothing I decently could and thus to a still greater extent bring myself in line with ill-clad masses? And this I did the very next morning after the Madura meeting.”
Curator of Gandhi Museum K.R. Nanda Rao says the moment was of great significance as it changed the course of history. “His speech reported in the book, Tamilnattin Gandhi , Gandhi explains to the public about the need to shed his opulence to attain spiritual clarity. All of this happened right here in our city,” he says.
However, the current state does not live up to the glory. A tea stall owner claims that the spot is cleaned only on occasions like Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanthi. The civic body is not worried about the urination happening around the transformer close located to the statue.
A small park is located right behind the statue but that too is not maintained. An official of the Health department says plants in the garden are not watered regularly.
Volunteers from Vaa Nanba, an NGO, have painted the wall with messages encouraging cleanliness.
M.C. Saravanan, one of the founders of the organisation, says, “The place was in a terrible shape as people had stuck posters all over the wall. The garden ceased to exist. We cleaned the place, wrote messages on the wall signifying Gandhi and also planted saplings. We are ready to maintain the garden.”
The Corporation official also adds that the lack of a dumper bin and a mobile toilet has caused the drop in hygiene standards. “If the public and Corporation work together, this historic spot can be saved for posterity.”
