• Jan 25 2016
• Admin
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• Travel

Safal Art Gallery

Navajivan Trust was established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1929. During the Indian Independence movement, the Trust’s publishing house, Navajivan Press, became a symbol of the liberty of free press.  In 2015, the Trust set up Satya Art Gallery, an art gallery and exhibition space for photography, in its premises.

Navajivan Press continues to print and distribute, in over thirteen languages, affordable editions of the critical writings of Gandhi, as well as works about him, in keeping with Gandhi’s sastu sahitya (affordable literature) ideal. Today, almost a century later, the Trust serves as a repository of important archives related to the Independence movement. In 1950, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a prominent Indian politician and trustee of the organization, oversaw the publishing house’s relocation from the Old City to its present location near Gujarat Vidyapith, a significant educational institution founded by Gandhi in 1920. 

Of late, the Navajivan Press has modernised its operations through higher quality editions of its publications, an online retail presence, as well as active public initiatives. These initiatives are primarily aimed at acquainting the younger generation with Gandhian philosophy, through projects such as Karma Cafe and Swatva, both inaugurated in 2015. While Karma Cafe is an eatery with a Gandhian, pay-as-you-wish financial model, Swatva is a khadi apparel store adjoining the Press. The Navjivan Trust often hosts events here which are frequented by young artists and visitors keen on discovering how Gandhi continues to influence contemporary life.