The Opposition Congress on Monday demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi inaugurated the museum on September 23, 2023. Constructed in five phases in an area measuring 14,500 sq. metres adjacent to the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Governance & Social Sciences, it was considered a dream project of the then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
The museum features a digital display of Mahatma Gandhi’s life and replicas of Gandhi Ashrams. While the museum was conceived as a platform for inspiring the youth, with virtual shows of various events during the Independence movement, and enabling them to imbibe Gandhian values and philosophy, the BJP government has not evinced any interest in opening it.
Mr. Gehlot said that since the Lok Sabha elections were over and the new government had been in power for more than six months, its failure to open the museum so far was “beyond comprehension”. Calling upon Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to open the museum to the public without delay, Mr. Gehlot warned that Gandhians would launch a hunger strike against the administration’s “stubbornness” if the demand were not accepted.
The museum features a digital display of Mahatma Gandhi’s life and replicas of Gandhi Ashrams. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The previous Congress government had taken a number of steps to promote Gandhian thought and activities among the public and passed a Bill for the establishment of the Gandhi Vatika Trust for the purpose. It also set up the country’s first Peace & Non-Violence Department to spread the teachings of Gandhi.
The Gandhi Vatika was conceived as a “cultural statement” against the attempts to destroy Gandhian values and erase the Mahatma from people’s memory. Conceptualised by the Gandhi Peace Foundation, the museum challenges the powers making concerted efforts to make the Gandhian philosophy irrelevant, despite celebrating Gandhiji in front of the world.
The three floors of the museum highlight different aspects of the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. While the basement showcases the age of colonisation, the 1857 uprising and Gandhiji’s life in South Africa, the ground floor has sections such as the Mahatma’s return to India, his concept of the nation, movements started by him and his last days.
The first floor houses sections on Gandhiji’s visits to Rajasthan and the influence of the Father of the Nation across the world. Its focus is on enlightening visitors rather than just showcasing a series of photos and artefacts.
