Kishorbhai Gohil
Nominated for : Spreading Gandhian legacy
Initiative - Shows How to spin from charkha at Gandhi Ashram
Nominated for : Spreading Gandhian legacy
Initiative - Shows How to spin from charkha at Gandhi Ashram
When many people at his age would think of relaxing and leading quiet life, 75-year old Kishor Gohil is busy doing what comes closest to his heart – demonstrating to the visitors at Hriday Kunj in Gandhi Ashram the art of spinning the charkha. In the course of 10 years, he has shown and taught this skill to numerous people, including some high profile personalities like former president Pratibha Patil and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
"I teach them, show them and also tell them about the virtues of spinning this wheel. The thread which comes out is uses in making khadi cloth. This task was very close to Bapu's heart. It feels great to be a part of all this," says Gohil.
As Gohil reflects on his past, he is more than amazed to discover his life's mission. "I retired as an income-tax inspector in 1997. Thereafter, I thought I would spend the rest of my life relaxing and enjoying the newly gained freedom. I did watch TV and tried to enjoy myself for some time, but then it just occurred to me that this was not being productive," he adds.
Gohil came to know from a relative about the work at Gandhi Ashram. "I suddenly felt the urge to work here. I wanted to work here voluntarily, without any remuneration. Initially, I was given the task of maintaining the register of new books in the library. I took up the task and started enjoying it."
Once when the work got over, Gohil visited Hriday Kunj where Gandhiji used to live. There he found Gandhiji's charkha in a damaged condition. "I mended it and gradually took upon the task of demonstrating the working of charkha to visitors," said Gohil.
Gradually, Gohil learnt the intricacies of spinning the charkha. "I had learnt it at school. That experience helped me. So in 2003, I started showing to all interested people the art of spinning this wheel," he adds.
Once he was given the responsibility, he took it with glee. He comes here daily around 11 am and goes back at 6.30 pm. Around seven lakh people visit Gandhi Ashram every year and it gives him immense pleasure to be doing this work. According to him, generally, people from Gujarat and north India are not very interested in charkha, but people from the south show a keen interest. They want to learn more about it and even practise it.
Visitors from Europe and North America also show keen interest in the charkha. "Some of them say, 'Oh its magic.' I say, it's not magic, it's truth. I tell them this was very close to the Father of the Nation and was a weapon in our freedom movement."
Gohil feels he enjoys good health because of charkha. "Before I came here, I was not so healthy. I even had had a heart attack. However, I have no health problem now. Spinning the wheel works like meditation. When I start running it, I forget everything else. It gives me real and lasting peace."
He spins around 10,000 metres of thread in a month and feels the urge to spin even when he is on leave
"I teach them, show them and also tell them about the virtues of spinning this wheel. The thread which comes out is uses in making khadi cloth. This task was very close to Bapu's heart. It feels great to be a part of all this," says Gohil.
As Gohil reflects on his past, he is more than amazed to discover his life's mission. "I retired as an income-tax inspector in 1997. Thereafter, I thought I would spend the rest of my life relaxing and enjoying the newly gained freedom. I did watch TV and tried to enjoy myself for some time, but then it just occurred to me that this was not being productive," he adds.
Gohil came to know from a relative about the work at Gandhi Ashram. "I suddenly felt the urge to work here. I wanted to work here voluntarily, without any remuneration. Initially, I was given the task of maintaining the register of new books in the library. I took up the task and started enjoying it."
Once when the work got over, Gohil visited Hriday Kunj where Gandhiji used to live. There he found Gandhiji's charkha in a damaged condition. "I mended it and gradually took upon the task of demonstrating the working of charkha to visitors," said Gohil.
Gradually, Gohil learnt the intricacies of spinning the charkha. "I had learnt it at school. That experience helped me. So in 2003, I started showing to all interested people the art of spinning this wheel," he adds.
Once he was given the responsibility, he took it with glee. He comes here daily around 11 am and goes back at 6.30 pm. Around seven lakh people visit Gandhi Ashram every year and it gives him immense pleasure to be doing this work. According to him, generally, people from Gujarat and north India are not very interested in charkha, but people from the south show a keen interest. They want to learn more about it and even practise it.
Visitors from Europe and North America also show keen interest in the charkha. "Some of them say, 'Oh its magic.' I say, it's not magic, it's truth. I tell them this was very close to the Father of the Nation and was a weapon in our freedom movement."
Gohil feels he enjoys good health because of charkha. "Before I came here, I was not so healthy. I even had had a heart attack. However, I have no health problem now. Spinning the wheel works like meditation. When I start running it, I forget everything else. It gives me real and lasting peace."
He spins around 10,000 metres of thread in a month and feels the urge to spin even when he is on leave
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