Magan
Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum)
Magan
Sangrahalaya
(Gandhi Museum)
- An Overview
Ph. – 91-7152-245082/ 240956
Email: vibhacsv1@yahoo.com
- M. K. Gandhi
The Birth
of an Institution
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Gandhiji after departure from Sabarmati in Ahmedabad in 1930
settled at Maganwadi in Wardha in 1930. This Ashram he named after Maganlal
Gandhi, his close associate who had been his right hand in all the earlier
three Ashrams but who had suddenly died while working, at his behest, in 
Gandhiji made an advisory committee of AIVIA
which consisted of many scientists. The members were: Rabindra Nath Tagore, Sir J. B. Bose, Sir
P. C. Ray, Sir C. V. Raman, Prof. San Higginbottom,
Major-General Sir Robert McCarrison, Dr. Purshottam Patel, Shri V. Patel,
Dr. B. C. Roy, Dr. S. Subbarao, Dr. M. A. Ansari, Dr. Rajabally, Dr. Jivraj Mehta, Sir G. D. Birla, Jamal Mohamed Sahib, Shri
Ramdas Pantulu and Sri S. Pochkhanawalla.
60 Years Back
On
Gandhiji
visited the museum last in 1944 after his release from the prison after the
‘Quit India movement”. At that time he observed that the museum should not be a static picture of the techniques which can improve the village life but should
be a dynamic window on evolving techniques in rural industrialization and thus
be ever changing all the time. He wanted it to be a centre of education for the
common man to impart information on new modes of production which could help
the poor of the land.
Dr. Devendra Kumar took
up the work of museum in 1978 to create a new awareness on the part of the scientists, technologists, economists,
sociologists and experts in other discipline all over the country towards
Gandhian values.
Objective:
Research, Demonstration and Extension of Khadi, Village Industries, agriculture, dairy, rural technical education etc..
Display and demonstration of tools, raw materials, production process of various village base industries.
Study and research on Gandhi Holistic Economic Development. Produce, Publishe and Organise sale of such books.
Programmes to bring the artisanal and indigenous skill of the villages resulting from accumulated knowledge of ages to the fore and help its interaction with recent knowledge of science and technology .
Activities of the Institution
1. Karigar Panchayat
The
Institute is the national coordinating office of Karigar Panchayat. It has
formed two hundred artisan guilds in India covering around five thousand
artisans including Bamboo Workers, Potters, Carpenters,
Honey hunters, Metal Workers,
leather Workers, Stone Crafts men, weavers etc. Taking up the issues of
artisans relating to raw materials ,tools, marketing, product diversification,
design, Policy issues etc.
The Institute
is presently working on expanding the Panchayat to one thousand artisans guild.
2. Rural Technology Programmes
The Institute being the
head office of Centre of Science
for villages (CSV). As the mother
institution of CSV, it has been a
part of the various projects and programmes of CSV. The Magan Sangrahalaya
under the Rural Technology Programme assisted by DST, developed technologies
for rural mud housing, rural dry pit
toilets, soak pits, heavy pottery products, paper & board from
banana stem, lime pozzolana, alternative
energy systems specially biogas plants, scientific harvesting of honey from rock-bees, spirulina (edible algae with high nutrition content), organic
composting etc.
These technologies were
developed and optimized by the
Institute, which were further
disseminated through CSV. To
disseminate appropriate
technologies to remote villages Magan
Sangrahalaya published a popular
wall paper Gram Vigyan
in Marathi, Science for Villages a monthly
bulletin in English and Gramopayogi Vigyan a News letter in Hindi.
3. Rural Technology Centre
Presently
the institute is establishing a new
Rural Technology Centre in Karla
village to serve a cluster of villages
(Pipari, Satoda, Alodi, Karla and Mahakal). It will accommodate a laboratory, food processing unit, training centre
and a sale depot.
4. Rural Housing & Sanitation
Magan Sangrahalaya has undertaken the
construction of Mud Houses for the rural
poor of Wardha block. It has till now constructed 200 Mud Houses for the
tribals of village Wagdhara, Amgaon, Karla, Sawangi along with sanitation units in these villages. Apart from the
houses the Institutes has constructed community halls, school buildings & training centre in the
above villages. These constructions
were undertaken as part of
exposure and training for young
engineers, architects and planners from
5. Science Popularisation Programmes
The institute organized series of workshops, camps, training programmes
on science related subjects.
With help of Raman science Centre, 
In Rural areas the people are
exposed to scientific understanding of miracles, anti superstition, ways
to deduct adulteration, clean drinking water, awareness of sanitation related
diseases & theater for oppressed.
Special programmes are organised for adolescent girls and boys regarding the issues of sex, body, health, psychological changes, yoga and mental peace. The institute concentrates on Municipal school children.
6. Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha (BJVJ)
The
institute is the state co-ordinating
office of BJVJ for
7. Khadi Unit
The
unique feature of the Khadi Production Unit is the use of short staple cotton
for production of Khadi Textile. Till
now this dry land ecologically grown cotton has been used only for filling of
pillows and mattresses. With due
modification in the spinning wheel, done by the institute, it is presently
possible to convert it into good quality fiber and there after weave it into
khadi fabric. Twenty five women weavers and spinners are presently working in this unit.
It is the only khadi
sale unit in
8. Organic farming
The
institute gives training and demonstration in organic farming, vermi-
composting by using biogas slurry. It runs a nursery that sells
herbal medicinal plants, fruit tree
and other useful plants and also runs a
shop that sells organic vegetables, grains & pulses procured from the
organic farmers of Wardha and nearby region.
9.
Environment Awareness Programmes
The institute is
closely associated with the Forest Departments
of the region. It conducts workshops, camps, training, demonstrations and
awareness camps in urban as well rural areas. An emergency squad to protect wild life, specially snakes provides
24 hours free service to
Wardha public.
10. Spirulina Production
The
spirulina production in
11. Wardha Wardhan Pradarshani
A week long annual fair is organized by the
institute where 40 Gandhian institutions display, demonstrate
and sell their products. It provides a platform for Gandhian Institutions,
activist groups, farmers, artisans and artists to interact with each other. For general public it gives them an
opportunity to know about alternative, ecofriendly products, ideas, methods and meet people who have pioneered to
evolve new alternatives.
Different alternatives that are demonstrated in Wardha
Wardhan Pradarshni are-
Organic Farm
Produce
Ø Stop the exploitation of water, soil and environment in the production of cash crops. To grow crops with less water and
manure.
Ø Organic farm produce & hand processed food products.
Recyclying
of waste
Ø Conversion of wasted polyethylene packets, plastic pouches, x-ray plates, rubber tires and tubes to items.
Health food to substitute commercial processed food and beverages -
Ø Food for all- introduction to new weeds, tuber, leaves, pods and flowers that can be added to the restricted food items that we presently eat.
Awareness generation -
Ø
Indigenous alternatives to multinational products in
Indian
market.
Ø Consumer
forum
Ø Self help
groups
Ø Campaign to
stop cruelty against animals
Ø Campaign
against tobacco and drugs
Ø Right to information
Ø Fight against corruption
Ø Know more about patents and genetic seeds
Ø campaign against multinationals
Ø Salt movement
Environmental awareness-
Ø Session on snakes, birds, trees, cruelty against animals.
Non-violence-
Ø How to deal with the social and cultural issues in non-violent and constructive way.
Demonstration and sale of new products, design, improved production process -
Ø Improved agriculture tools.
Ø Product diversification of artisanal products and
their
utilization in daily use items.
Ø Bamboo workers, potters, metal workers, weavers, toy makers, fiber and reed product, leather, honey, handmade paper, food processing, pottery etc.
Ø Exposure to low cost rural housing and sanitation.
Ø
Abhivyakti Artists teams to project current social
issues through puppets, theater, folk
theater, mimicry, magic show etc.
12. Exhibition
The institute runs the historical museums, Magan Sangrahalaya. It is the only museum in India started by Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1938, dedicated to the artisans of India.
The museum is divided into the following
five wings:
Khadi
and village industries
Ø Khadi - cotton to yarn, raw material and implements
used in the
past and the present.
Ø Khadi weaving implements
Ø Various weaves in cotton.
Ø
Silk
Ø Wool
Ø
Apparel.
Ø Cereals & Pulses
Ø Oil-seeds
Ø Perennial Palms
Ø Honey from
the wild-rock-bees.
Ø Pottery
Ø Leather goods from fallen hides.
Ø Tree-borne
Oilseeds and their use.
Ø Carpentry
Ø Blacksmith.
Ø Paper from
waste in nature.
Ø Bamboo-the
great grass.
Ø Handcrafts of
New
Rural Technologies (to be
constructed)
Ø Renewable Energy- Solar, Wind, Biogas etc.
Ø Rural Housing using local resources for appropriate needs of shelter
and sanitation.
Ø Putting Agro wastes to economics use to generate employment.
Ø Stone crafts
and wares
Ø Grasses and
Straw products
Ø Horn and Sea Shells
Ø Glass and Lecker
Ø Metal and
Wood
Ø Paper Mache
Mahatma Gandhi 
Gandhiji's life in
pictures. His belongings and the gifts
received by him are displayed
in this wing.
Kumarappa Hut
The
mud and bamboo hut in which Kumarappa used to live is situated in the mid of
the museum provides inspiration and
guidance for austerity, simplicity and
idealism.
13.
Ghandhi Chitra Pradarshani
Ghandhi Chitra Pradarshani is being run in close
conjunction with Sevagram Ashram. The Chitrawali is arranged in a
5000sq.ft.. Building standing on a half acre campus and is visited by a
lakh of visitors who come to Gandhi Kuti as a pilgrimage.
14. Magandeep (Shop that sells organic products)
15.
Library
In keeping with the directives of the founders, Magan Sangrahalaya
has developed a library and
study section on the Gandhian decentralized economy which is ecologically
sound, economically
viable and socially just. For this presently it has collected around 6,023
books. The museum and its library being
situated in the heart of the city, apart from being of use to common people,
acts as reference centre to provide literature and information to students, scholars, scientists and
institutions working on alternative economic development on Ghandhian
Lines.
16. Publications
Every
year the institute publishes a book on Gandhi's Rural Economic approach. The Gandhian ideology with times has gained global
recognition, as more and more world
thinkers are pleading for an economy of
permanency and peace.
17. Yoga and Nature Cure Centre
Institute runs a regular nature cure and yoga centre run by experts in the field.
18. Emergency Relief Fund
The Institute has
created special fund to meet the
expenses of man and material needed to
undertake emergency relief work in areas prone to natural disasters.
A team of six volunteers were send to the Gujrat earthquake areas to assist the
earthquake victims. Which included giving health services, streamlining
the distribution system,
management of water, construction
of safe dwellings, food and fodder for cattle, education and rehabilitation of children and
distribution of finance and tool to artisans. The recent work for
earthquake victims of Gujrat was undertaken in the district of Katch covering
40 villages of Balasar block & 16 villages of Vallabhapar block (Rapar Dist).
“As a result of the
complexities and problems born due to centralization of industries, over
consumption of natural resouces
and imbalances created in the ecological fields as well as of undue stresses on psychological, social
and political systems. Magan Sangrahalaya, therefore, stands committed to try to find out solutions in these
through its exhibits and other activities”.
-Dr. Devendra Kumar
