‘Ba’, Kasturba Gandhi’s 76th Nirvan Divas (death anniversary) was observed in Gandhi Darshan on February 22, 2020 by organising the ‘Kasturba Katha’ by Katha Vyas Dr. Shobhana Radhakrishna. Participants attending the three-day national conference “Report to Gandhi” took part in the ‘Kasturba Katha’ along with many others from the Gandhian fraternity. Joint Secretary Ministry of Culture and Member Secretary GSDS, Shri S C Barmma was the guest of honour. Shri Basant, Shri Kalanand Muni, Shri Aditya Patnaik Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan and others also took part in the programme.
‘Kasturba Katha’ by Dr Shobhana Radhakrishna covered the narrations of the various phases of Kastur's life starting from her years in India; Kasturba with her two sons in Durban in South Africa; her sojourn to India with four sons and back to Durban; life in Phoenix Settlement and the first Satyagraha; Sevagram Ashram life, Kasturba's role in three national Satyagraha and other smaller Satyagraha; her incarceration in Agha Khan Palace and her last day in Bapu's lap on 22nd February 1944.
The Katha Vyas had also pointed how Kasturba had seen Mohandas in every shade. A boy hell-bent on establishing superiority on account of being older; a child scared of school; a serious but uninspired student; a son hurt by the absence of his father; a father deranged by the untimely death of his son; an infatuated husband; an unemployed English speaking young man grappling with a traditional family's needs who had suddenly grown into an intelligent and capable man after the experience of South Africa. “It seemed to Kastuba that her Mohandas had found his purpose in life”, said Dr. Shobhana.
Prior to the Katha, the excerpts from Ramcharitmanas and Bhajans were sung by Smt Swati Bhagat and Shri Deepak Kalra who also accompanied the Katha Vyas by singing Kasturba Katha dhun and geet. The Audiovisual presentation was done by Dr Ravi Chopra.
The evening also saw a powerful Odissi dance recital by Ms. Ratna Padma Ayusmita Jangyaseni, a disciple of Guru Shri Manoranjan and Smt. Minati Partha and Ms. Sonali Mahapatra pay her tribute to Kasturba Gandhi through her spell-binding presentation of Krishna Leela (the anecdotes and narratives of Krishna's life) and Nava Durga (nine manifestations of the goddess Durga). Shri Ritabrato Mallik from West Bengal also performed Rabindra nritya (dance) on the occasion.