Statewide Prohibition Padayatra:

The Statewide ( Madras – Kanyakumari) Prohibition Padayatra led by Sri S.R.Subramaniam, Secretary, Tamilnadu Prohibition Council, Madras made-extensive propaganda in schools enroute. At Salem a Reception was arranged for the party on 25-12-1985 under the Chairmanship of Shri C.R.Narasimhan, President Trustee. Gandhi Ashram took charge of the Padayatra arrangements in Salem District from Vallapadi to Pallipalayam. The Prohibition Padayatra created strong public opinion in favour of Prohibition. Government have announced that they close toddy and arrack shop from next year at Kumaramangalam village 50 local persons took pledge before the Padayatra group to give up drinking.

Rajaji’s padayatra:

The British Government found that these Satyagraha Marches particularly the Dandi March of Mahatma Gandhi and Vedaranyam March of Rajaji gathered great momentum in course of their march.The marches were arrested in the beginning itself ad thus they sought to nip the movement in the bud. So the policy was changed.

On 7th August 1933 Ashram’s Founder Rajaji and 16 other Satyagrahis including a Muslim, a Person of weaker section., and two women walked from Ashram premises at Pudupalayam to Tiruchengodu a 11 km. trek in pursuance of renewed Civil Disobediance Movement They gathered at 40 pillars hall. Rajaji spoke advising boycott of Foreign cloth. Then the party marched on foot along Tiruchengodu principal streets, distributing handwritten leaflets and reached Taluk office compound. In front of the Taluk office, Rajaji and others were arrested and sentenced to 6 month’s rigorous imprisonment.

Golden jubilee celebrations of Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha:

In 1980 Sri S.R.Subramanyam undertook a Padayatra from Trichy to Vedaranyam to commemorate the Rajaji’s Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha march. The Padayatris took the same route that Rajaji did 50 years earlier. In this Padayatra Sri R. Venkatraman and Sri M.Munisamy, veteran workers of Gandhi Ashram walked the entire march. On the final day of the March Our President Shri C.R.Narasimhan, son of Rajaji by foot(Padayatra from Tiruchengode where gandhi addressed by public meeting on 21.03.1925) in the Golden Jubliee Celebration of Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha.

0n 13.04.2009 being the 80 th anniversary of the march, a vehicle yatra with the same objectives doing the propaganda in the villages for a fortnight led by the Veteran Gandhian Shri P.N.Srinivasan, Chairman Gandhi Darshan Kendra, Chennai, along with Poet Neelamegam. The vehicle yatra reached Vedaranyam on 30th April 2009 to the place where Rajaji picked salt 80 years earlier. The inaugural ceremony on 13.04.09 at Trichy and Valedictory function on 30.04.09 at Vedaranyam were graced by freedom fighter and Hony. Trustee and President of Ashram Shri K. Lakshmi kanthan Bharati I A S ( R ), after a march by foot at the age of 84 of 6kms along with Shri A.Vedarathnam, grand son of sardar Vedarathnam.

Commemoration of Gandhiji’s Entraining:

Within 45 days of establishment of Ashram, Gandhiji visited the Ashram started in his name, on 19.03.1925 and left on 21.03.1925 and entrained at Sankari Durg Railway Station. To commemorate this event, a cycle held on on 21.03.1925 led by freedom fighter Shri K.Lakshmi Kanthan Bharati IAS (R) at the age of 82, the yatra was inaugurated by the District Collector Shri Sundaramoorthy IAS at the Ashram premises. More than 500 consists of students and well wishers took part. The yatris was received at Sankari Durg near the Gandhi Statue by Shri M.Rajarathnam, District Revenue officer of Salem District.

Upliftment of Weaker Sections:

It speaks volumes of Rajaji's dedication to the cause of Weaker Sections that among the very first inmates of the Ashram were four persons of weaker Section. He must have been bold enough to do this in those days when for a Person of weaker section. to wear a Chapal and to go about, to hold an umberlla over his head or to ride a bicycle meant for him retribution through physical violence . The Ashram published brouchers and did propaganda among Weaker section and educated them.Nine Schools were started in Person of weaker section. hamlet. Scholarships and clothes were given to the deserving pupils. Ashram workers visited Person of weaker section. hamlet regularly and helped and advised villagers to maintain health and hygine.

Provision of Dwelling houses.

In 1933 nine small houses for Weaker section were put to relieve congestion in a near by village of weaker section. Village. It was opened by Mr.M.C.Rajah, the veteran leader of the village of weaker section. community, on 30th April 1933.

Drinking Water:

It needs no great imagination to realize the hardships that Weaker section had for drinking water those days when water was scarce and caste custom of untouchability was strong. It is eloquent testimony to the Ashrams concern for them that it dug 9 new wells, deepened old ones, to provide drinking water to the Weaker section, so many decades ago with slender resources.

Rajaji could be described as the Father of Prohibition Movement of India. Pioneer centre of Prohibition Activities: Rajaji was the Secretary of the Prohibition League of India an the anti- Drink Sub – committee of Indian National Congress. As a result the Ashram became the hub of all activities directed towards total prohibition in India. Closer of shops at people’s request: In the year 1929, thanks to sustained and continuous education of the people by Rajaji and his chosen band of devoted workers through cartoon boards fitted in bullock carts in each village in the nights with lantern about the evil effects of drink, as well as representation to the Government, Then the British Government of Madras which consented to close down 31 toddy and arrack shops in Tiruchengodu Taluk and 22 such shops in Namakkal Taluk after ascertaining the opinion of the public and created a dry belt. It was another notable first in the country. It was an experiment on Prohibition. Publication of Prohibition Journals: Rajaji published “ Vimochanam “ in tamil and Prohibition in English for popularizing the cause of prohibition in those days. 32 coloured pictures were prepared for Prohibition propaganda. “Kalki” Krishnamurthy was chosen by Rajaji to help him in this work. These pictures attract youngsters. As the political struggle was on “Vimochanam “had to be suspended(due to imprisonment of Rajaji in the Vedaranyam salt toSatyagraha). State level Prohibition Conference at Salem: The Ashram arranged for a State level Prohibition Conference at Salem on 15-8-72 to protest against the suspension of prohibition. Subsequently when the Toddy shops were auctioned at Tiruchengodu Taluk office a group of 12 volunteers led by Sri S.Subharathnam , former Secretary of the Ashram picketed auctioning of shops and were sentenced for 15 days. The old cartoons which were used by Revered Shri Rajaji for the Prohibition propaganda in villages were reproduced and exhibited in a lorry with a view to educate the masses about evil effects of Drinking. Rajaji Centenary celebrations: During Rajaji centenary year (1978) a 3oo km Padayatra from Madras to Thorapalli ( Birth place of Rajaji ) was organized by the Ashram under the leader ship of Shri S.R.Subramaniam, Secretary of Tamilnadu Prohibition council, Madras to emphasize the importance of Prohibition, Khadi and Village Industries in the rural economy and Anti-touchability. The Padayatra group consisted 16 members with a bullock cart depicting Rajaji’s portrait and his sayings. It was inaugurated on 10th November 1978 at Rajaji Memorial, Guindy, Madras by Shri K.Santhanam, associate of Rajaji Dr.B.Gopala Reddy, Dr. M.P.Sivagnana Gramaniar, Shri C.R.Narasimhan offered felicitations to the Group. The Padayatra Group was blessed at Vellore (N.A.District ) by the true Gandhian and the then Governor of Tamilnadu Mr.Prabhudas B.Patwari. Rajaji Centenary Celebrations in a fitting manner by the Government of Tamilnadu at Thorapalli village in Hosur Taluk of krishnagri District on 10th December 1978 when the Padayatra Group reached the village.A disciple of Rajaji and a former M.L.A Mr . B.Venkatasamy has organized the valedictory function at Thorapalli village meticulously. The Pilot were for the entire in every village enroute was done by Sri S.Aravamudhan and Sri P.C.Ramaswamy. Cartoon picture used by Rajaji during Prohibition Propaganda.

Schools: In those days when schools were luxuries even for fair sized townships it was “ unthinkable” to start schools in village and especially in weaker section. hamlet and have their study in the same school ultimately resulting in eradication of untouchability. Hostel: weaker section. boys were finding it very difficult to get High school education at Tiruchengodu in the absence of the hostel. When nobody was forth coming to give a site for locating the hostel, Dr.P.Subbarayan, Zamindar of Kumaramangalam was kind enough to donate a site at the request of Revered Rajaji. The Hostel was built and declared open by the Congress President Babu Rajendra Prasad on 26-10-1935. The hostel served the weaker section of the society in the same building for so many decades but when it was found unsafe for running a hostel, it was vacated by the Government and was started running in a rented building later. Ashram distributed the Khadi dresses to the inmates of hostel on 25th December every year i.e Demise of Shri Rajaji which worth about Rs.54, 292 those days. Through this hostel more than 1000 of students had their best education and placed in the higher echelons of the society.