On Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Gujarat. Soon after he landed, the head of state was taken to Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram. At the Sabarmati Ashram, Boris Johnson paid his respects to the “father of the nation” and span the infamous ‘Charkha’. Boris Johnson was visibly left mesmerised by the tranquillity of the Ashram. The only problem is, that every world leader is forced to get mesmerised by the Ashram and its ambience, to the point that it has become boring. Imagine this – dozens of world leaders have been taken to Gujarat for the simple purpose of paying their obeisance at Gandhi’s Ashram.
This begs the question, is it time for the Indian government to discover some new places of historical value, which can be used as venues to host world leaders. After all, Gandhi and his Ashram at Sabarmati are not the only places worth visiting in our culturally-rich country.
Here is a list of just some foreign dignitaries who have been taken to the Sabarmati Ashram ever since India got its independence:
- England’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1961
- King of Jordan in 1963
- Philip, the Duke of Edinburg in 1997
- Sri Lankan Prime Minister PM Premadasa in 1988
- Nelson Mandela in 1995
- Netherlands’ Prime Minister Wim Kok in 1999
The list goes on and on. In 2020, Donald Trump, then the president of the United States was also taken to Sabarmati Ashram. Chinese President Xi Jinping was also among the many foreign dignitaries who visited the Ashram.
Is there a dearth of historical places in India?
The tradition was first broken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took Chinese President Xi Jinping to Tamil Nadu’s Mamallapuram. The city is a place of high historical and cultural value, and the Hindu heritage of the region shot to limelight after the visit by Xi Jinping. The city emerged as a hub of tourism, while also making foreign dignitaries aware of the vast expanse of India’s cultural spread.
One would think that Xi Jinping’s visit to Mamallapuram would set a new precedent. Turns out, that was a mere exception. Unfortunately, various heads of state are back to visiting the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, thus constricting their view of India as a Gandhi-centric, peace-loving and pusillanimous nation.
Need for Change
Gujarat has been overused when it comes to foreign dignitaries visiting India. It is now time for the Modi government to make it a policy priority to take visiting heads of state to the many other states of India.
South India is gifted with a cultural heritage of a scale that perhaps cannot be seen anywhere else in India. Rajasthan is well known for its forts. Uttarakhand represents the spiritual heritage of India. The Northeast is naturally gifted and will leave foreign leaders awe-inspired.
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Within Gujarat too, there is untapped potential when it comes to exposing foreign leaders to Indian heritage. The government must realise that the Sabarmati Ashram, at best, represents Mahatma Gandhi alone. It does not show visiting leaders ‘India’ as it is. India has survived invasions and colonisations as a civilisation. The ‘civilisational’ aspect of India is something which needs to be actively promoted by the government, and that is only possible when Sabarmati Ashram is put on the back burner.
Spinning the wheel at Sabarmati Ashram does not do justice to the cultural richness of India. Yet, most foreign leaders are left to be satiated doing just that. The visitors’ diary at Sabarmati Ashram needs a break, and diaries across India need to be filled as well. The Indian government must bring about this change in its mindset as soon as possible.
