Gandhi Jayanti: Three Pune sites that still carry the Mahatma's imprint
Yerawada Jail, Parnakuti and the Aga Khan Palace mark different phases of Mahatma Gandhi's life, from imprisonment to the final push for freedom.
Pune holds a special place in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Several places in the city are linked to the freedom struggle, his emphasis on social reform, his fasts, his jail terms and his work to end untouchability. On Gandhi Jayanti, it is worth revisiting these historic landmarks.
Among Gandhi's links with Pune, Yerawada Jail comes first. He was sent there in 1922 after being sentenced in a sedition case. In 1930, after the Dandi March, he was again sent to Yerawada Jail. In September 1932, he fasted in the same jail in protest against the Communal Award.
Parnakuti, near Yerawada, is another important place where Gandhi stayed in Pune. According to the Gandhi Heritage Portal, he stayed at Parnakuti several times between 1933 and 1944. From May 8 to 28, 1933, he undertook a 21-day fast of self-purification there.
In 1934, while he was on his way to a felicitation programme in Pune, a bomb was thrown at the car. Gandhi was travelling in a different car and escaped the attack.
The most poignant chapter in Pune's history is linked to the Aga Khan Palace. After the Quit India movement, Gandhi, Kasturba Gandhi and their associates were interned there from August 9, 1942. During this period, Mahadev Desai died on August 15, 1942, and Kasturba Gandhi on February 22, 1944. Both were cremated in the palace grounds. Gandhi undertook a 21-day fast at the same place in 1943. He was released on May 6, 1944.
Through these buildings, Pune witnessed not only Gandhi's political struggle but also his ideas of satyagraha, non-violence, self-reliance and social equality. The Aga Khan Palace is now being preserved as a heritage site linked to India's freedom struggle. In 1969, the Aga Khan gave the building to the people of India.
On Gandhi Jayanti, Pune can be seen less as a city of Gandhi's memories and more as one that preserves living traces of history. Yerawada, Parnakuti and the Aga Khan Palace mark different phases of his life: imprisonment, social reflection and the decisive phase of the freedom struggle.
