Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti

The birth of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS) is a result of the merger of Gandhi Darshan at Rajghat and Gandhi Smriti, at 5, Tees January Marg on September 1984. It is an autonomous body, and is functioning under the constructive advice and financial support from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The basic aim and objective of the Samiti are to propagate the life, mission and thought of Mahatma Gandhi through various socio-educational and cultural programmes.

The Samiti has two campuses:

Gandhi Smriti

Gandhi Smriti, housed is the sacred place where Mahatma Gandhi’s epic llife ended on 30 January 1948. The house treasures many memories of the last 144 days of his life. The Old Birla House was acquired by the Government of India in 1971 and was converted into a National Memorial of the Father of the Nation and was opened to the public on August 15, 1973.

The preserves include the room where Gandhiji lived and the prayer ground where mass congregation used to be held. This was the place where Gandhiji was felled by the assassin’s bullets. The building and the landscape have been preserved as they were in those days.

Vision

To create a just and peaceful society that aims to imbibe the message, philosophy, and life of Mahatma Gandhi.

Mission

The overarching mission of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti is to propagate the life-mission and thought of Mahatma Gandhi amongst different sections of the society so that these can be imbibed by a large number of people.

Constructive Programme in Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti

Through the “Constructive Programme” he set an agenda for a revolution in India and subsequently for the entire mankind. Through this programme he presented a fairly comprehensive vision of the kind of society he had in his mind.

The Constructive Programme may otherwise and more fittingly be called construction of “poorna swaraj” or complete independence by truthful and non-violent means. It is impossible to attain swaraj non-violently unless there is self-purification. This requires faith in the following items: