Back in 1948, govt employees came together to honour Gandhi’s legacy

Gandhi Jayanti: Barely five months after Mahatma Gandhi’s death in 1948, government employees started a fundraising campaign to collect donations for the Mahatma Gandhi National Memorial Fund. As we celebrate 156th Gandhi Jayanti on Thursday, here is a look back to the year when government employees came forward to honour his legacy.

Historians have often described it as one of the largest spontaneous monetary contributions in history to honour a single individual, according to a document from the Delhi Archives.

Various superintendents and assistants-in-charge gathered in Delhi on June 18, 1948, to hold a meeting aimed at constituting a committee to collect donations from government servants for memorial fund, read the document.

The newly formed committee, led by superintendents Ishawar Singh and Vasdev of the Finance branch, was tasked with ensuring that contributions were collected regularly and that progress was reported to the registrar every month, the document said.

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While contributions were voluntary, the proposal presented to employees suggested that each government servant donate an amount equivalent to 10 days’ pay, the document read.

To facilitate the process, it was further highlighted that deductions would be spread over six installments.

The collection drive formally began on July 1, 1948.

In one notable instance in 1949, General Talkies Ltd presented a cheque of Rs 15,000 to the Fund during the release of its film ‘Swayam Siddha’ at Majestic Cinema in Delhi on August 26, the document stated.

This gesture was publicly acknowledged by the then President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the document added.

The Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, also known as the Gandhi National Memorial Trust, was subsequently established to carry forward Gandhi’s legacy by preserving his teachings, maintaining places connected to his life, and producing literature on Gandhian thought.