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Revival of the Gandhian legacy in Tardeo
Updated On: 01 October, 2023 12:03 PM IST | Mumbai | Devanshi Doshi
A 40-year-old book centre in Nana Chowk has a rich collection of literature on the Mahatma, and conducts exams and events for students and jail inmates across Maharashtra
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The bookstore has nearly 450 books on Gandhi and his follower Vinoba Bhave for sale, and on their website for free of cost
When Mahatma Gandhi was asked to give a message to the people in Bengal, following the pacification of Hindu-Muslim riots, he had said, “My life is my message.” For a young Tulisdas Kanji Somaiya, these four words weaved the path for a road he’d choose to walk on for the rest of his life.
It is 11 am when we reach Gandhi Book Centre, a two-storey bungalow at Nana Chowk. “Fifty per cent off”, reads a huge poster hanging from the ends of two adjacent buildings. We meet 86-year-old Somaiya on the second floor. With the support of his walking stick, he walks out of his office-cum-home and leads us into an another room which has a museum-like set up. “This room documents the entire life of Gandhi’s follower Vinoba Bhave,” he tells us, adding that he was a part of his Land Gift Mission. “I have met him many times in my life. He tried following Gandhi’s way of living, and in my eyes, I see no difference between the two. It was under Bhave’s guidance that Sarvodaya Mandal came into being, followed by this bookstore.” In his late 30s, Somaiya, who was an engineer, quit his job to join this mandal. “As a child, I would passionately read and follow Gandhi’s work. I wanted to lead a life dedicated to social service just like him. So, I travelled India, visiting libraries and centres dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. I had decided to spend my life at Sabarmati Ashram, but I returned to Mumbai for some family-related work. Just as I was about to return, I found myself sandwiched between a huge crowd trying to board a train at the Kurla Station. Amid the hassle to get in, I got pushed down, and ended up getting severely injured.” For years to come, Somaiya was unable to use his left arm. “I was more or less handicapped,” he tells us. That’s when we started collecting books by Gandhi and Bhave, and opened up a store in 1982. “I am aware that it is impossible to match the scale of service they delivered, but I try doing it through spreading their words.”
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