Gandhi Ashram, Sabarmati. (Wikimedia Commons)
Tridip Suhrud, noted Gandhian scholar, has resigned as Director of Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAMPAT) that runs the Gandhi founded Ashram. Thursday will be his last day at Ashram. Confirming the development Suhrud told The Indian Express, “I want to go back to academia and this is the only reason why I am leaving it.” He denied any other reason behind his decision. He said that he had informed his decision to the Ashram trust almost two months ago.
His exit has come as a shock for over a dozen employees recruited during his tenure. One of them said, “I learnt it couple of days ago and I still can’t believe it. The kind research on Gandhi that we took up needs another five years of constant guidance.”
With Suhrud came the leap towards digitisation of Ashram’s assets. During the five years of his tenure, Gandhian archives and manuscripts were digitised. A web portal containing Gandhi’s intellectual heritage was started, launched by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The archive has been given the prominence with state of art facilities to preserve the over 35,000 documents on Gandhi that the ashram has. A fellowship programme has also been launched under his directorship.