Gandhi Ashram in Noakhali- Recollecting its Restoration

----Ziauddin Choudhury

The past week (October 2 ) Mahatma Gandhis birthday was celebrated in solemnity in India, and other parts of the world by people who admired this iconic figures contribution to humanity. I am glad that there was celebration of this occasion in Bangladesh, if not nationally, but at least in Joyag- a remote village in Begumganj, Noakhali, where we have a center that was originally created by a local philanthropist (Barrister Hemanta Ghose) in 1947. Barrister Ghose had donated his entire property to Mahatma Gandhi as a Trust to run welfare activities when Gandhi visited Noakhali following the communal riots that tore up the district in 1946. Gandhi had stayed in Noakhali for four months visiting the affected areas and preaching his core message of non-violence among the people of both communities. I came to know of the existence of the Ashram, however, through an official proclamation of a Gandhi Ashram Trust by the Government of Bangladesh in 1975. I had just joined Noakhali as Deputy Commissioner when through a gazette notification I found myself to be nominated as a member of the Trust. There were a few other officials and one local person as members of the Trust with Justice Devesh Bhattacharya (father of economist Debapriya Bhattacharya) as the Chairman. The local person was Charu Choudhury the man who had been associated with the original Ashram since its birth. I had been in Noakhali only a couple of months, and I had yet to know the lie of the land, not to speak of any Ashram and that too named after Gandhi. The Gazette notification came as a surprise as I suddenly found myself to be member of a Trust that was ostensibly created for a center that I had no clue about. As I was going about enquiring from my staff on location of Joyag and the whereabouts of the Ashram, I had a visit from Charu Choudhury the day following the Gazette Notification. He was a slight man with a fair complexion, and appeared to be in his early seventies (He said to later he was 71 that time). We sat and we talked. It was a fascinating two-hour conversation with him. Charu Choudhury was a loyal disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. He had come with Gandhi in the wake of his visit following the riots. I would hear from him the history of the Ashram, and how it had come to near ruination from years of neglect, and abuse by anti-socials that were abetted by the local authorities. I would learn from him how he had steadfastly refused to leave the place or caring for the Ashram despite its ruinous condition, loss of property, and his own incarceration by Government of Pakistan from time to time. He told me that he dared not leave the place despite the life threatening impediments because Gandhiji had asked him to stay there.

The following day Charu Choudhury took me to Joyag to visit the Ashram, which was only about 15 or 20 miles away. It was a pitiable sight. A mildewed building covered partly by moss stood at the center of what looked like a vegetable garden, now covered with shrubs. As I entered the building I saw evidences of leakage of rain water through the roof. Inside there were the charkas, a weaving machine, and some other objects that appeared like tools for making handicraft. There were some women working on some of the equipment. Charu Choudhury explained to me that the women were local who came there regularly to learn weaving or spinning yarns. He was still operating a Center for the destitute, with no resources. Now that the Government has created the Trust, funds would come, he hoped. Unfortunately, Charu Choudhurys hope or rather dream that the moribund Ashram would be resuscitated now that a Trust had been created would not happen for quite some time. The creation of a Gandhi Trust by the Government in 1975 by a Gazette Notification was a political ploy by the authorities that came to power after the violent August coup. It was a more an attempt to project a politically correct image of the new government to placate our neighboring country than a genuine desire to rebuild the Ashram. This Charu Choudhury and I would realize as days passed by and no new funds came to the Ashram. It fell to Charu Choudhurys wits and the support that we could offer from the local administration (including funds from the Zilla Board) to lay the foundation for the resuscitation of the center. In this effort the Gazette Notification from the Government helped a long way. Charu Choudhury, as Secretary of the Trust, was empowered to go to courts for recovery lands that belonged to the Trust. With support from the Courts and local enforcing authorities lands were recovered, and future transgressions prevented. Some repair work was also begun, and volunteers started to appear. Again it would take several years for the Ashram to get back to life. Years of renewed labor from Charu Choudhury and dedicated support from his associates (including Jharna Chowdhury- the current Secretary of the Trust) who returned to Joyag later would rebuild the Ashram. Today, the Ashram is not only a training center but also a museum dedicated to the memory of the great soul who had cared more for his fellow beings than for himself. I think it is a tribute to us as a country and as a nation that we have a place in our country where we can remember Mahatma Gandhi and his work for all human beings. The Gandhi Ashram in Joyag is also a quiet reminder to all that adversities in life can never deter true disciples of Gandhi like Charu Choudhury from following his teachings. Never for a moment Charu Choudhury forgot what Gandhi said---You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.

Ziauddin Choudhury works for an international organization in the USA. He was Deputy Commissioner of Noakhali from 1975-78.