Kasturba Gandhi immortalised at Phoenix Settlement

A BUST of Kasturba Gandhi was unveiled on Friday at Phoenix Settlement in Inanda, placed opposite that of her husband, Mahatma Gandhi.

- KAREN SINGH

INDIAN Union Minister of Power, Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal Khattar (3rd left) unveils the bust of Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi at the Phoenix Gandhi Settlement in Durban on Friday. Looking on is the grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Ela Gandhi ( 2nd right) and Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment Narend Singh. | RAJESH JANTILAL

(RAJESH JANTILAL)

A powerful figure in her own right, Kasturba lived at the settlement from 1904 to 1914, where she championed education, self-reliance and moral discipline - particularly among women and children.

Her legacy of quiet strength and grassroots activism now stands immortalised alongside her husband's.

A strong supporter of Gandhi's South African campaigns, including the Satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) movement, she often led when he was imprisoned.

Kasturba’s granddaughter, Ela Gandhi, who is the chairperson of Gandhi Development Trust, speaking at the event said she had dreamt about this day for many years.

She said in 2004, at the 100th anniversary of Phoenix Settlement, the statue of her grandfather was donated by the vice-president of India.