Mahatma Gandhi South African Home Named Satyagraha

SINGAPORE, January 12, 2011 (Press-News.org) We recently reported that the former South African home of Mahatma Gandhi was up for sale and that Coal India Limited were making their second attempt to buy the property.

We have since discovered this information to be incorrect.

Read original Gandhi article: http://blog.oceanvillasgroup.com/mahatma-gandhi-south-african-home-up-for-sale/

The Gandhi house is, in fact, currently owned by Voyageurs du Monde Group who bought the home in September 2009 and it is not for sale.

Voyageurs du Monde is a French tour operator owned by CEO Jean-Francois Rial and Alain Capestan.

The Gandhi house's previous owners, Jared and Nancy Ball, decided to sell the home in 2007 and it was on the market for two years; although there never was any interest from companies or governments concerned about preserving its historical significance.

Fortunately, the Balls were keen to find a buyer who would respect the heritage and significance of Mahatma Gandhi's former home.

In 2009 Mr Rial offered to buy the Gandhi house from the Ball family with the intention of turning it into a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi and his life.

"At first, I did feel I had to make a bit of a mental adjustment because I'd always thought it would go to an Indian. But having met the people from the Voyageurs du Monde, they were so passionate about Gandhi and about this house and the future," commented Nancy Ball.

Following a renovation proposal to the City of Johannesburg Heritage Council, the Ghandi house is now officially registered as part of South African national heritage.

The property is currently being renovated and restored to its former glory; the architect in charge of the works is Rocco Bosman, a well-known South African architect and heritage specialist.

Lauren Segal, who designed the Gandhi exhibition at Constitution Hill and Museum of Apartheid in Johannesburg, will design the museum at the property.

Historian and Mahatma Gandhi expert, Eric Itzkin, has been appointed as the main consultant for the project. Eric designed the Gandhi exhibition at the Museum Africa and also wrote the book, "Gandhi's Johannesburg - Johannesburg birthplace of Satyagraha".

Once restored, the Gandhi house will be renamed Satyagraha House because during the years Gandhi lived at the house (1907 to 1909) he developed the idea of passive resistance called Satyagraha.

The renovations and museum are expected to be completed by June 2011.

Satyagraha House will then become a free museum for anyone who wishes to visit and learn about the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi.

Jean Francois Rial wants the home to be a continued place of peace and a memorial to Gandhi, his thoughts and his life, for future generations.

"It's a historic home," Mr Rial commented, noting that Gandhi had written his benchmark works on non-violence there. "We want to make a small museum and a small guesthouse."

Author:

Rebecca Smith

Ocean Villas Group

http://www.oceanvillasgroup.com

Article source: http://www.squidoo.com/ocean-villas/squidcast/1039841-mahatma-gandhi-south-african-home-named-satyagraha

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