Pinakini Satyagraha Ashram, forgotten monument of freedom struggle

Nellore : Once the headquarters of freedom struggle, the Pinakini Satyagraha Ashram, popularly known as Gandhi Ashram in Pallipadu village, is far from development due to lack of clarity among the politicos of the district.

It has become common scenario for the leaders of political parties to visit this place only on occasions like Mahatma Gandhi birth and death anniversaries and washing off hands just by performing programmes and giving poses for photographs to draw media attention and least bothered over its development. The then Chief Minister Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy, after visiting the Ashram, promised to take it up with the Centre and to include it in the list of Ashrams maintained by the Centre. But his promise never got materialised.

Pinakini Satyagraha Ashram (PSA) is the second one in the entire country after Sabarmathi Ashram in Gujarath State, which is located on the banks of River Pennar at Pallepadu village of Indukurupet mandal, 21 km away from Nellore city.

Philonthropists Dagumarthi Hanumantha Rao and Chaturvedula Venkata Krishnaiah visited Sabarmathi Ashram in Gujarat and constructed the PSA in the same model in 22 acres in Pallepadu village in 1921.

Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated the Ashram on February 7 in the same year. Soon it became the centre of freedom struggle in the district. From then, the Ashram reverberated with bhajans and inspirational speeches of freedom fighters and with the visits of patriots across the country during freedom struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi visited this place three times, in 1921, 1929 and 1933 as he used to stay in the Ashram during his visit to the district. At the time of his visits, Mahatma Gandhi wrote a message in the visitors’ diary, quoting that "I feel fortunate for having inaugurate the Ashram as Nellore district having credibility of great freedom fighters."

Following the call given by Mahatma Gandhi, a host of Gandhians and freedom fighters including Kuntimaddi Punnaiah, Tikkavarapu Ramireddy and his wife Sudarsanamma, former Utter Pradesh Governor Bejawada Gopala Reddy and his sister Ponaka Kanakamma, noted Naturopathy doctor Oruganti Venkatasubbaiah and others joined it giving wider base for freedom struggle moment till 1947.

For two decades after independence, the PSA was under control of Gandhians and later the management was changed to Grama Swarajya Sangham (GSS), later to Pallipadu Sarpanch. Since 2005, it is under the control of Nellore district Indian Red Cross Society unit. According to sources, nearly six acres was submerged in Pennar river due to erosion and Rusthumji Bhavan that was built in 1921 in the Ashram is also under threat during floods.

When KVN Chakradhar Babu was the district Collector, it was proposed to construct retention wall on the banks of Pennar river by securing funds from State and Central governments, but the proposal remained on papers only.