 |
| The house where Gandhiji was born |
 |
| The spot where Gandhiji was born |
We visited Porbandar and the house where Gandhiji
was born. A very old house purchased by his great grandfather in 1777, it has
adjacent to it, the Kirti Mandir, a memorial to Gandhiji. The narrow house and
the small rooms housed Bapu for ten years before the family moved to Rajkot, We
stood in the study and tried to visualise the great man ( a a playful boy)here. The memorial is
huge and is 79 feet tall , the height equal to his lifespan. Encompassing the
architecture styles of all religions, this building at the end of a narrow lane
was inaugurated in 1950.
We spent a leisurely afternoon exploring the house
and viewing the photos in the gallery.
It saddened me to see many small children begging on
the streets outside. Didn't Gandhiji say, ""If we are to teach real
peace in this world…we shall have to begin with the children"?
We stopped by the 'Bombay behl and sandwich center'.
We also bought some snacks for the little beggar girls who had run off to badger
other tourists.
We bid goodbye to this port which also boasts of being the home to Lord Krishna's best friend, Sudama (Porbandar is also known as Sudamapuri).
