MoS (Panchayati Raj) Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil to hoist the National Flag at Aga Khan Palace and Mehta’s Nature Cure Clinic (National Institute of Naturopathy), Pune on 12th[...]

To commemorate 75 years of India's Independence under the patriotic campaign of "Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan" programme as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahostav (AKAM), Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil will visit the historical monument Aga Khan Palace and Dr. Mehta's Nature Cure Clinic (now called National Institute of Naturopathy), Pune on 12^th August, 2022 and hoist the National Flag. On this occasion, he will felicitate the freedom fighters, their families and the families of the martyrs and pay tributes to the heroes of the freedom movement at these two historic places.

As a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) celebration, it has been decided that about 400 places associated with freedom struggle will be visited by various dignitaries from 11" to 15" August, 2022 for the Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan progarmme. Aga Khan Palace, Pune and Dr. Mehta's Nature Cure Clinic (NIN), Pune are also included in these 400 historical places by Ministry of Culture. More than 500 participants are expected to attended. Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly and other local leaders and dignitaries are expected to attend the event.

The Aga Khan Palace in Pune occupies a prime position in the history of India's freedom movement for the fact that Mahatma Gandhiji, his wife Smt Kasturba Gandhi ji, Secretary Mahadevbhai Desai, as well as Miraben, Pyarelal Nair, Sarojini Naidu and Dr. Sushila Nayar were incarcerated here from 9 August 1942 to 6 May 1944. Due to the death of Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadevbhai Desai at this place, this place was very close to Gandhiji. The 'Samadhis' of Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadevbhai are in a garden behind the main palace. It now serves as the headquarters of the Gandhi National Memorial Society where the making of 'khadi' continues to be a prime activity.

The National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) is located at a historical place called "Bapu Bhavan" which was run as "Nature Cure Clinic and Sanatorium" by late Dr. Dinshaw K. Mehta at Pune, Maharashtra. Between 1945 and 1947, Gandhiji visited NIN seven times and stayed there for 156 days. The All India Nature Cure Foundation Trust was established in 1945 at the institute and Gandhiji became its Chairman. Although NIN came into existence on 22-12-1986, the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi with the institute gave it the eminence in the field of Naturopathy. As an apex institution, NIN is progressing with the aim of creating a Nature Cure University - which was one of the main aims of Mahatma Gandhi in forming the All India Nature Cure Foundation Trust.

***

APS/PK