Kochrab Ashram

About Kochrab Ashram

• It was the first ashram founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1915, following his return to India from South Africa.
• Location: It is located in Kochrab village, situated on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• It was called Satyagraha Ashram based on his ideas of achieving India's independence from British rule through peaceful methods.
• Establishment:
  • Gopal Krishna Gokhale requested Mahatma Gandhi to return to India, which needed his skills as a community organizer.
  • Mahatma Gandhi began his association with Ahmedabad after returning to India from South Africa.
  • About his decision to settle in Ahmedabad in 1915, Gandhi wrote that, as a Gujarati, he should be able to serve the country best through the Gujarati language.
  • On 20th of May, 1915, Gandhi began living in a bungalow in Kochrab village.
  • The bungalow, which he soon rechristened as the Satyagraha Ashram, was given to him by his fellow lawyer and colleague, Jeevanlal Desai.
• Mahatma Gandhi based himself here for about one-and-a-half years before moving to the new campus of Sabarmati Ashram.
• It is a colonial-style building with a white-washed façade.
• The campus has hostels and kitchens.
• The Gandhi Memorial Museum in the ashram campus has a small collection of artifacts associated with the life of Mahatma Gandhi and historical photographs.

Q1) What is the Dandi March?

The Dandi March, also known as the Salt March and the Salt Satyagraha, led by Mahatma Gandhi, was a milestone in the Civil Disobedience Movement. It was started as a nonviolent protest against the unjust salt tax, imposed by the British Government in India.. On 12th March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi started the historic march along with 78 followers from the Sabarmati Ashram in the Ahmedabad district to the coastal town of Dandi near Surat. The march was joined by huge crowds everyday as Gandhi walked through different villages. They walked 241-miles for twenty-four days and reached Dandi on 5th April 1930. On the morning of 6th April, Mahatma Gandhi and his followers broke the Salt Act by producing salt from sea water. 

Source: Modi inaugurates redeveloped Kochrab Ashram in Gujarat, Gandhi’s first home after returning to India