Photos

This separate structure housed two people who were very important figures in the personal life of Gandhiji: Vinoba Bhave and Madeleine Slade.

Vinoba Bhave lived here during the years 1918 - 1921, and was widely known by the title Acharya - teacher. He was an advocate of non-violence and human rights. Gandhi considered him to be the first satyagrahi. Additionally Vinoba was celibate and became the spiritual successor to Gandhi after the latter's death.

Madeleine Slade was the daughter of a British rear-admiral and showed up at the ashram one day, out of the blue so to speak. She became a vegetarian, took up spinning cotton, and spent evenings massaging Gandhi's legs. They would talk for one hour every day as twilight settled in. She was resident from 1925 - 1933. Gandhi's letters to her are still extant although her responses are not. There is no reason to assume their relationship was other than platonic.