Gujarat: The redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad is set to gain a major museum-design component, with Paris-headquartered Museum Studio selected to design 23 museums planned within the expanded memorial complex. The firm will work in consortium with Ecofirst Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Consulting Engineers, as part of the project to conserve, restore and reinterpret the historic Gandhi Ashram.
The Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust is overseeing the redevelopment, which encompasses the conservation and expansion of the historic site. Gandhi moved to the Sabarmati Ashram in 1917 after acquiring a 60-acre plot along the Sabarmati River. Under the redevelopment, the historic buildings are being restored using traditional materials and construction techniques, including bricks, teak and lime plaster, with a traditional binding mixture of urad, jaggery and fenugreek seeds. The restored structures will be repurposed as museums within the new 55-acre memorial precinct.
A nine-member Content Advisory Committee has been constituted to guide the museums’ content and interpretation. The committee includes representatives from the cultural, academic and museum sectors, including Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Rajashree Birla, Bihar Museum Director General Anjani Kumar Singh, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Rizwan Kadri, Rajaram Yajnik and Manvi Seth, among others.
The committee has been reviewing historical material covering Gandhi’s years in South Africa, his influences and the people influenced by him. Its approval is required before museum content and design are finalised. A first draft prepared by Ecofirst is currently being reviewed for authenticity, after which the material will go to the National Institute of Design (NID) for proof-checking, review and approval of the museum design.
The project also places emphasis on contemporary methods of storytelling. According to project sources, digital content in the museums has been capped at 30 per cent of the overall presentation. Electronic displays and related installations will be accommodated in air-conditioned spaces.
The restoration programme covers 28 buildings from the original Gandhi Ashram complex, including a hostel, gaushala, school, spinning and weaving centre, paper-making centre and creche. Ecofirst has received a ₹113-crore contract for designing and developing museums and exhibitions in 23 buildings, while the National Dairy Development Board is restoring the museum planned inside the Ashram Gaushala.
The wider redevelopment is being jointly implemented by the Central and Gujarat governments. Urban planner Bimal Patel’s firm, HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd, prepared the masterplan and carried out the civil works. (TIE)
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