JOHANNESBURG: Indian and French consulates here organized a joint program to mark the International Day of Non-Violence to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This program was organized at Satyagraha House, which was Gandhi’s first residence during his stay in the city. A company has converted this residence into a hotel where visitors can experience Gandhi’s lifestyle.
Satyagraha House manager Edna Oberholzer said that it is now a provincial museum and we wish that the first autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi was also written in this house. Etienne Chapon, Consul General of France, said that when I came to know about the Satyagraha House, the idea of organizing a joint event came to my mind, and Anju Ranjan (consul general of India in Johannesburg).
Ranjan said that there is something special in Satyagraha House. He said that here you can feel Gandhi all around you. He started thinking and writing about the principles of Satyagraha here. We can say that it is the birthplace of Satyagraha and Tolstoy Farm was the laboratory of Satyagraha.
Mahatma Gandhi started the Satyagraha when he was practicing law in Johannesburg, South Africa and in those days Tolstoy Farm became the headquarters of the Satyagraha. The form is named after the eminent Russian writer Tolstoy whose admirer was Bapu himself. This farm was completely demolished after which Mahatma Gandhi Remembrance Organization (MGRO) is rebuilding it. It was completely damaged about a decade ago
