Issued under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, Satyagraha Ashram: Rules and Regulations , Ahmedabad: Navajivan Mudranalaya, circa 1930s.
24 pages; original stapled booklet in printed wrappers titled Satyagraha Ashram [Rules and Regulations], issued for practical circulation among residents and associates of the Satyagraha Ashram, second edition. Printed in English.
6.9 x 4.6 in (17.7 x 11.9 cm)
Institutional booklet outlining the ethical code, vows, and disciplines governing life at Sabarmati Ashram under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. Printed in modest wrapper format, the booklet describes the moral, spiritual, and practical framework of Gandhian ashram life, including principles of simplicity, self-reliance, truth, non-violence, labour, and service. The restrained utilitarian presentation itself reflects the functional and anti-material ethos of Gandhian publishing, where clarity of ethical instruction was prioritised over decorative production.
INSIDE SABARMATI: Gandhi's Blueprint for an Ethical Society
A rare and historically important institutional handbook from Sabarmati Ashram, documenting in remarkable detail the ethical, social, educational, agricultural, and spiritual framework that shaped daily life within Mahatma Gandhi’s experimental community.
Far more than a simple rulebook, Satyagraha Ashram: Rules and Regulations is among the clearest surviving documentary expressions of how Gandhian philosophy was translated into daily practice. The booklet demonstrates Gandhi’s conviction that India’s political freedom could not be separated from disciplined personal conduct, communal responsibility, economic self-reliance, and moral reform.
The present second edition retains its original plain wrappers—typographically austere and intentionally unadorned. Its restrained design reflects the functional simplicity associated with Gandhian publishing. Internally, the booklet offers an unusually detailed account of the Ashram’s organisation, including its governing committee, observances, educational programme, labour structure, agriculture, khadi production, tannery, dairy operations, communal dining system, and census of residents.
Particularly significant are the sections devoted to the Ashram observances, where the text codifies the vows that formed the ethical foundation of Gandhian life: Truth (Satya), Non-violence (Ahimsa), Swadeshi, physical labour, non-possession, fearlessness, and the removal of untouchability. One section explicitly states:
“The object of this Ashram is that its members should qualify themselves for, and make a constant endeavour towards, the service of the country, not inconsistent with universal good.”
The booklet also preserves important documentary evidence of the Ashram’s evolving institutional identity. A notable passage records that:
“Satyagraha Ashram is now known as Udyoga Mandir.”
Elsewhere, the text details the Ashram’s economic and vocational activities, including spinning, weaving, agriculture, shoemaking, cattle care, dyeing, carpentry, and national education, illustrating Gandhi’s conviction that intellectual, moral, and manual labour should function together within a unified social philosophy.
Equally important is the section concerning the removal of untouchability, where the booklet rejects caste exclusion and records the admission of so-called “untouchables” into the Ashram community. These passages demonstrate the extent to which Gandhi regarded social reform not as secondary to nationalism, but as integral to it.
The surviving copy bears clear signs of active use: underlined passages, check marks, handling wear, smoke or burn marks, rusting staples, and edge wear. Together, these traces reinforce its character as a working institutional document rather than a ceremonial publication and enhance its documentary value.
The present example gains additional historical resonance through its preservation within the archive of Anand T. Hingorani, one of Gandhi’s close disciples who joined Sabarmati Ashram in 1930 and later became deeply involved in preserving and publishing Gandhian literature.
Institutional Gandhian manuals of this nature survive considerably less frequently than photographs or commemorative publications. As a primary source, this booklet offers an exceptionally direct insight into the organisation, values, and daily functioning of Gandhi’s ashram community.
This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as a reference for the condition of each lot.