Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, Kasturba Kitchen, Wardha Haat to be restored in Maharashtra
MGIRI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi's Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) for an 18-month project on Thursday. The IGNCA, the ministry of culture's heritage body, will serve as the project management consultant.
Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, which served as Gandhi's residence, and its library will be transformed into an immersive museum and prayer hall. This will include structural repairs, digitisation of valuable collections, and interactive exhibition showcasing Gandhi's ideologies. There will also be a dedicated meditation area.
Adjacent to Gandhi Smriti Bhavan is the Kasturba Kitchen, where meals were prepared for the ashram community and visitors. The Kasturba Kitchen will see its original infrastructure restored.
Gandhi Smriti Bhavan, which served as Gandhi's residence, and its library will be transformed into an immersive museum and prayer hall
The Wardha Haat, once a bustling marketplace inaugurated by Gandhi in 1936, will be restored as an artisan complex. This involves reconstructing damaged sections, improving visitor infrastructure like ventilation and lighting, and creating dedicated workspaces for rural craftsmen.
Mahatma Gandhi had founded the All India Village Industries Association (AIVIA) on December 14, 1934, on this land in Wardha donated by his close associate, Seth Jamanalal Bajaj. From 1934 to 1936, Gandhi lived at Maganwadi with Kasturba Gandhi, personally guiding AIVIA's development into a centre for research, production, training, and promotion of village industries.
As AIVIA expanded, the Jamanalal Bajaj Central Research Institute (JBCRI) was set up on the site in 1955 under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to continue the research and development.
In a joint effort, KVIC and IIT Delhi developed MGIRI between 2001 and 2008. It later became a national institute under the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), focusing on rural industrialisation and preserving the physical heritage structures directly associated with Gandhi.
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Beyond structural restoration, the project will focus on enhancing public engagement with the heritage site. A curated heritage walk will connect the restored structures. Life-size statues of Mahatma Gandhi and the 12 traditional village artisans (Balutedars) will be installed, along with interactive plaques explaining their significance. Supporting infrastructure such as a sustainable cafeteria featuring local cuisine, a Gandhian-themed souvenir shop, public toilets, water points, and adequate parking will also be developed.
'It seeks to bridge the gap between Gandhi's tangible legacy and contemporary efforts in sustainable rural development, ensuring the places where he lived, worked, and envisioned a self-reliant India are not just preserved, but actively contribute to educating and inspiring future generations,' said an IGNCA official.
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