GUWAHATI, June 2 - The Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust, Assam branch, situated at South Sarania near Ulubari, will be celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as well as the completion of 75 years of working for the welfare of women and children in rural areas.
All 15 centres of the Trust across Assam will be conducting a three-day awareness programme for women on sanitation and various laws.
The Ulubari premises of the Trust, which was founded by late Amalprova Das, was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi himself in January 1946 during his visit to Guwahati.
The main objective of this Trust is to work for the welfare of women and children in villages, and focuses on education, hygiene, treatment of diseases, etc.
After the death of Kasturba Gandhi, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Thakkar Bapa and a few other eminent people proposed the idea of setting up a memorial in her memory and started collecting funds for that purpose. The headquarters was established in Kasturbagram (Indore) and 20 state branches were set up all over the country. There are several centres under the state branches.
Women activists known as �sevikas� devoted their lives towards eradication of illiteracy and to empower women who have been suppressed. The �sevikas� were exposed to pre-basic education, adult education, health and cleaning work, midwifery and nursing, improved methods of cultivation, cottage industries like yarn-making, weaving, spinning and sewing, etc.
The list of achievements of the Trust date back to 1950, from rendering services to quake-hit and flood-devastated areas, to setting up a training camp for newly-elected women presidents of the gaon panchayats in 1994.
Several campaigns and workshops were organised by the Trust, including against consumption of liquor and narcotics, sale of obscene literature and display of indecent advertisements, etc.
An eminent member of the Trust in Assam is Shakuntaladevi Choudhary, who is still a follower of the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. She devoted many years of her life towards the welfare of women in society, and to honour her, the Trust will be celebrating her 100th birthday on June 25, 2019.
