To relive and envision the popular Salt March started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 during the British rule, an exhibition titled “Freedom to March Rediscovering Gandhi Through Dandi” was showcased at the Lalit Kala Akademi and was presented by Ojas Art.
Interestingly, 24 prominent Indian artists experienced an unprecedented journey from Sabarmati to Dandi (on the same route of Gandhi’s Salt March), to relive his memories and feature his philosophy and thoughts.
The show displayed various artforms including sculptures, paintings and photographs.
K.S. Radhakrishnan, a veteran sculptor, who made a sculpture on Gandhi featuring the Namak Andolan, shares, “It was like revisiting history. Going to the same place and routes, it was like getting into the spirit of Gandhi. Not physically, but we can feel him around us spiritually. Bapu to me is like speed, which gripped and moved the entire nation in the right direction.”
Photographer Vicky Roy, 19, youngest in the group, shot unique pictures of the Sabarmati Ashram titled “He is Within You”. “My works show that Bapu still resides in our soul and inspires us to move forward. Though I was a street kid, to be a photographer and work on the life of Gandhi was my childhood dream. I’m happy that my destiny helped me fulfil it. The photographs are dedicated to the youth of today, which motivate them to follow Bapu’s morals,” he adds.
From the popular black sculpture Gyrah Murti to Bapu’s Three Monkeys, every artiste has tried to gave Mahatma’s different aspects, a contemporary perspective.
The most talked about work at the exhibition was by artist Shiv Verma, who made an installation depicting the changing times in India with Gandhi’s monkeys. “The journey to Dandi was memorable, but I feel that the place has lost its peaceful ambience. The image of Gandhiji, whether it is a calendar picture or a television documentary, grows with us. However, the changes in our living context have made it a bit difficult to imbibe his principles in the pragmatic forms of his times,” he adds.