Indian-origin activist Mohan Hira has been lauded for his efforts in restoring Gandhi’s erstwhile commune Tolstoy Farm in South Africa as he led a commemoration service on the 77th anniversary of his assassination on Thursday.
Hira, recipient of the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, recalled how more than four decades ago, he had been saddened by Gandhi’s iron and wood residence and other buildings at Tolstoy Farm being vandalised to their foundations and the area being completely covered by tall grass.
“We could not have a discussion about Tolstoy Farm without mentioning Mohan Bhai and his contribution. He has put in his own personal efforts, sweat, toil and dedication to keeping the memory of Mahatma Gandhi and his work alive at Tolstoy Farm,” said Sumiti Rao, representing the Indian consulate in the city.
“For any Indian visiting Tolstoy Farm, it is not short of being a pilgrimage, so it is a privilege to be here,” added Rao, who was visiting the site for the first time.
“With support from many individuals, we formed the Mahatma Gandhi Remembrance Organisation (MGRO) and set about the lengthy task ahead of restoring it to its former glory,” Hira said.
Hira received the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman award in 2023 from the President of India at the biennial gathering of diaspora Indians.
Hira arranged for busts and statues of global icons Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to be made in India for installation at Tolstoy Farm, while also arranging for the planting of vegetable gardens and fruit trees which had once thrived on Tolstoy Farm as a self-sufficient commune for Gandhi and his followers as they fought the discriminatory laws of the time.
Impressed by what he had achieved, the Indian missions in South Africa, as well as Indian companies invested in the country.
“Although there is still a long way to go, we are confident that Tolstoy Farm, while not becoming the same kind of residential commune that Gandhiji had, will serve as a base for growth and development of the local community, especially to empower women and youth, something that Gandhiji would have been leading if he were here today,” Hira said.
“The plan is to involve the communities from the surrounding settlements to start empowerment projects to make them self-sufficient amid the ever-increasing poverty and unemployment that surrounds us,” Hira added.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.