In the Footsteps of the Mahatma

A tour of 14-nights

Departing USA September 30 to celebrate his birth on October 2 at his place of birth or January 19 to be at Birla House where he was assasinated on March 30. Alternativly, tour dates can be customised for your travel

Mahatma Gandhi will always be remembered as long as free men and those who love freedom and justice live. Haile Selassie

Today, when world peace is threatened with atomic and nuclear weapons capable of annihilating the human race, Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of love and truth and of respect for others' rights have become even more meaningful than at any other time. Haile Selassie

I and others may be revolutionaries but we are disciples of Mahatma Gandhi, directly or indirectly, nothing more nothing less. Ho Chi Minh

Gandhi resisted evil with as much vigor and power as the violent resister, but he resisted with love instead of hate. True pacifism is not unrealistic submission to evil power. It is rather a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is the man who stirred three hundred million people to revolt, who has shaken the foundations of the British Empire, who has introduced into human politics the strongest religious impetus of the last two thousand years. Romain Rolland

(Mahatma Gandhi’s) life has inspired me ever since I was a small boy…... nonviolence does not mean the mere absence of violence. ……. The true expression of nonviolence is compassion. …... To experience genuine compassion is to develop a feeling of closeness to others combined with a sense of responsibility for their welfare. ……. HH The Dalai Lama

Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood. Albert Einstein

Be careful in dealing with a man who cares nothing for comfort or promotion, but is simply determined to do what he believes to be right. He is a dangerous uncomfortable enemy, because his body, which you can always conquer, gives you little purchase upon his soul. Prof. Gilbert Murray

 

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Probander on October 2, 1869, and was assassinated in Delhi 79 years later.  During his life time, he brought one of the greatest Empires to its knees, changed the lifestyle and approach to humanity of a country steeped in history and her own way of life, preached and practiced non-violence which is emulated by others and form the basis of peace and humanity policies adopted by governments the world over.

In our 14-night tour, we will start with a visit to his birthplace, continuing on to areas which helped shape India’s history.  We will walk on the famous Dandi Salt March road, visit the prisons Gandhiji spent so much time, and end up in Delhi to visit Birla House where he was assassinated and finally Rajghat where he was cremated.

We will also spend a day in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal to view this and other splendid samples of mogul architecture.

Itinerary:

September 30/January 19. Leave the USA

October 1/January 20. Leave Europe. Arrive late at night in Mumbai (Bombay).

October 2/January 21. Fly to Porbander to visit Gandhiji’s birthplace, where he was born on October 2, 1869. Porbander is also associated with others such as Swami Vivekanand and Rabindranath Tagore.

October 3/January 22. We will take a train for Rajkot. While Gandhiji’s father was Prime Minister to the king of Saurashtra, Gandhiji spent the early years of his life here. We will visit Kaba Gandhi No Delo, Gandhiji's ancestral home.

October 4/January 23. Continue our sightseeing in Rajkot.

October 5/January 24. Drive to Ahmedabad. We will visit the Satyagraha ashram in Kochrab founded in 1915, renamed the Harijan (untouchable) ashram by Gandhiji to continue his battle against untouchability. The beautiful ashram is easily the most moving of all the monuments and memorials to Mahatma Gandhi, where one gets a glimpse into the simplicity of the great man.

October 6/January 25. Sightseeing in Ahmedabad and Kheda where an early part of the non-violence and civil disobedience movement in India began when Gandhiji asked farmers in Kheda to refrain from paying land revenue on January 10, 1918.

October 7/January 26. Drive to Bardoli, and then onto Surat. Bardoli made a major contribution for India’s struggle for Independence by challenging arbitrary tax increases. Civil disobedience led to the government reducing the new taxes resulting in a victory for the disobedience movement.

October 8/January 27. Walk along the Sabarmati Dandi Road. The British dictated that the sale or production of salt by anyone but the British government was a criminal offense. Gandhiji launched a civil disobedience against these taxes by walking from his ashram in Ahmedabad to the beach at Dandi and tasted salt there. We will walk on a part of this route.

October 9/January 28. Drive to Mumbai. Mumbai (or Bombay) was home to Gandhiji. In 1892 he started his law practice here. He started the Sathyagragh movement in January 1918. We will visit other places of historical interest in this great city.

October 10/January 29. We will take a train to Poona. Gandhiji was often imprisoned in either the Aga Khan Palace or the Yeravada Jail. In 1942 Kasturba, his wife, died in prison while both of them were in this prison. Gandhiji was operated on for appendicitis in Sassoon Hospital, Poona on January 12, 1924.

October 11/January 30. In the evening we will fly to Delhi. On January 30, 1948, he was killed by an assassin in Delhi. We will visit Birla House, the scene of this tragedy and then to Rajghat, on the banks of the RIver Jamuna, where Gandhiji was cremated.

October 12/January 31. We will spend the day in Agra to view the Taj Mahal and other samples of excellence of mogul architecture.

October 13/February 1. Sightseeing and shopping in Delhi.

October 14/February 2. Sightseeing and shopping in Delhi. Departure this night.

October 15/February 3. Morning arrival into Europe. Evening arrival into the USA.

Cost: Cost will depend on the group size, and specific requirements of the group.

Registration: Please use our registration form to register.

Additional Information: Please contact Deepak@Spiritualjourneys.net, or mail: Deepak Singh, Spiritual Journeys, Inc., 262 Upland Road, Cambridge, MA 02140. USA. Ph: 508-358-4267.