Feature- Nellore's 'Second Sabarmati' epitomises Gandhi's legacy

NELLORE: At a time when the Centre is celebrating 75 years of Independence in the name of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Pinakini Satyagraha Asramam in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh is quietly basking in its rich legacy.

Renowned as the 'Second Sabarmati', the asramam has been a centre of learning in the teachings of ideals that epitomize Mahatma Gandhi's life.

Tucked away in the remote village of Pallipadu, the centre has been carrying on with its mission for well over 100 years but in relative recluse – far away from pomp and media glare. Only last year, the centre celebrated its centenary -- it was inaugurated by the Mahatma himself in 1921. There was a popular perception then that a Sabarmati-like hub was needed to propagate his teachings of non-violence equally well in south India. And that's how this Gandhian hub had its birth.

In an age where Mahatma Gandhi is merely used as a mascot for political optics, the Pinakini Satyagraha Asramam stands as a point to ponder. It is in fact a living example of Mahatma's teachings which can be of great value for the younger generations.

How the asramam came up

How the asramam came into existence is an amazing story in itself. The first seeds of intent towards this task were sown by three Pallipadu villagers – Chaturvedula Hanumantha Rao, Chaturvedula Venkata Krishnaiah and Kondaparthi Punnaiah. They procured some land and built kuteeams or thatched huts on the banks of the River Penna, about 11 km away from Nellore. Luckily, they were not alone in this mission.

Noted freedom fighter Ponaka Kanakamma gifted about 13 acres to facilitate the expansion while the duo of Ponaka Rami Reddy and Pattabhi Rami Reddy erected 'kuteerams' and spruced them up to give them the proper shape of 'parnasalas'.

Culminating their benevolence and selfless efforts, Mahatma Gandhi himself came down to Pallipadu and inaugurated the Satyagraha asramam before presiding over a symbolic phase of 'Salt Satyagraha' movement there.

As decades passed by, post India's independence, the asramam slowly began losing its sheen.

Craving for attention from time to time, it ended up as a famous Gandhian symbol on paper but completely dilapidated on the ground.

The 'second Sabarmati', however, received a new lease of life when it was entrusted to the Indian Red Cross Society in 2005.

A committee, formed for its renovation and revival, has been striving hard to give a face-lift it deserves and keep it alive in the public memory.