Not just ardent followers of Gandhiji, but anyone would feel hurt to see alcohol bottles and garbage piles at a memorial to the Father of the Nation.
Gandhi Jayanti is not just the time to remember the Mahatma, but also to reinvent his principles. But a visit to a Gandhi memorial in the city on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti was more than disappointing. Corroded gates, fallen leaves, overgrowing weeds, dust, waste bundles and, shockingly, alcohol bottles, welcomed us at the Gandhi memorial at Pulimoodu. The memorial, which has a bust of Gandhiji on a platform, has not been cleaned for years.
The memorial was unveiled by the then Opposition Leader A K Antony on January 1, 2000, on the 63rd anniversary of Gandhiji’s visit to the place which was once a free tailoring coaching unit for Harijans run by freedom fighter ‘Jubba’ Ramakrishna Pillai.
The memorial now lies adjacent to the defunct quality control lab of Sri Dhanwantri Madom Ayurvedics Pvt Ltd at Pulimoodu. Though locked up, it does not prevent trespassers from dumping wastes on to the site.
The cobwebs on the ears of the bust seemed like stuffed cotton as if Gandhiji did not want to hear what was happening around him. The site is an ideal example of how a memorial can become a mockery.
During the time of Independence Struggle, the site was bustling with activity to improve the lives of Harijans, to promote Swadeshi movement and to fight for freedom. The current state of the memorial is an insult to its glorious past.
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