Naveen Patnaik launches Gandhi Peace Centre at Bhubaneswar

This being the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Mahatma, the Aditya Birla Group felt that a fitting tribute, to the Mahatma would be, to set-up technological marvels, that would like

a prism refract, the epic life of the Mahatma.

Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, welcoming the Chief Minister, said, “To set-up insightful galleries, in different parts of India, where Gandhiji’s imprint, is more than discernable would, we felt, be an act of deep homage. Odisha, was the right choice."

She added that, Naveen Patnaik, epitomized Gandhian values and that the Mahatma felt a kind of spiritual connect, with Odisha. It was the place, that he visited eight times.

His tryst with Odisha, began in 1921, as part of his nationwide journey, to spread his ideals of Satyagraha, Swaraj and Ahimsa. It became intense, when he saw the frugal, precarious living conditions, of the poverty struck, the ill treatment of the Harijans, and the huge unemployment.

Birla mentioned that, in view of Odisha’s situation, Gandhiji pledged to put Odisha, on a transformative journey. He did so by motivating, and goading, the people of
Odisha, to help him in his crusade against untouchability, to become self-reliant, through the charkha, establishing khadi as an industry, coupled with a razor sharp focus, on agriculture.

Stalwarts such as Utkalmani Gopabandu Das, spearheaded Gandhiji’s freedom movement in Odisha.

The Gandhi Peace Centre, aims to bring to the people of Odisha, glimpses of the epic life, of the Mahatma, through cutting edge technology. Bearing in mind, that as decades
move on with the times, the relevance of great personalities, of the past, and their contributions fade. So, she says that, “it is imperative to find creative ways, of keeping their lives, and what they stood for, in the minds of people. We live in a world of technology, and the youth, seem forever in its grip, and grasp. To take the timeless message, of the Mahatma, we have recoursed to, world-class futuristic technology.

Through innovatively blending, the Gandhian ethos, we have evolved, an interactive process. In the multimedia presentation, at this Peace Centre, everyone in Odisha can
engage, in a fascinating dialogue, on the life and time of the Mahatma.”

Incidentally, this Gandhi Peace Centre, is the fourth of its kind. In fact, the conceptualization, of the first Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum, was done by Kumar Mangalam, an ardent follower of the Mahatma and the Aditya Birla Group, Chairman. This is in Delhi at Birla House. The three other Gandhi Centres – Birmingham in UK, the up and coming one in Houston in US, and this Centre in Odisha are replicas.

Besides these monumental structures, the Group has set-up miniature centres, at the major airports, with the most appealing Gandhi artefacts. These, help relive Gandhiji’s journey in life.

From the Aditya Birla Group, Dr. Santrupt Misra and Ashok Bal, helped in taking the project forward. Alongside Bharat Parekh, the Project Head, Birad Yagnik, the
curator and Sandeep Karkhanis, the architect, have been responsible for this marvelous execution of the Gandhi Peace Centre.

The Gandhi Peace Centre is located in proximity to the historical Khandagiri and Udaigiri Caves. Spanning 20,000 sq. ft., it’s an interactive digital wonder in Odia, Hindi and English. The Centre is open for viewing between 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday and admission is free.

(Image Credit: Naveen Patnaik Twitter)