Through a few drawings picked up from the flea market, some contemporary portraits from archives, and a range of colourful paintings, Dandi at NGMA speaks volumes about Gandhi’s Salt March. By U Nair

I  called him Bapu, and not Mahatmaji. We have deep love for each other, a bond of affinity has been forged between us, that’s all. And this disinterested love shall endure. It is endless,” said Nandlal Bose about the venerated ‘Father of the Nation.’

His portraits of Gandhiji with his Dandi are more than iconographic. A linocut and a watercolour become  a testimony of the saga of India’s freedom and the cruel ways of the British. Nandlal was among the first to recognise that the image of Gandhi alone had the potential to unify a movement beyond the realm of a select few to express the collective will of a new nation.

At the NGMA in Delhi, along with the Ministry of Culture, Adwaita Gadanayak, DG, NGMA, who has been scouring the archives, has come up with another show that is bound to stir up the many notions of nationality and patriotism within us.

Drawings — Salt March

Dandi Yatra showcases historical drawings of the journey of the Salt March from Sabarmati Satyagraha Ashram, Kochrab to Dandi, a small coastal village in Gujarat,” says Gadanayak.

 “The journey, covering 240 miles, took 12 night halts and was witness to the breaking of the British law for salt. At that time, a veritable ocean of people had been drawn to this march, making it one of the largest mass movements of the world. A large number of mediapersons and artists from across the world was also drawn to this event. An unsung Satyagrahi and artist Chhaganlal Jadav, in his tiny drawing book, had captured some known/unknown faces from among the participants of this epic journey towards Swaraj.”

 “I am extremely happy to share these landmark drawings that are part of our living history. They are at present a part of the personal collection of Dr Rizwan Qadri from Ahmedabad, who brought these drawings to light and shared them with us for the purpose of showcasing them for the first time, through this exhibition. He found these drawings at a Sunday kabaadi bazaar.”

Nandlal’s watercolour

If Nandlal’s linocut is unforgettable iconicity, his watercolour is a melange of tones and tenors. Nandlal shows him as an individual who  is at once strong and pure, both noble and fearless in his concern for doing good to others. Nandlal’s words ring through the darker resonance in this historic watercolour. “He has love for all men, limitless compassion for all creatures, and he has staked his life for restoring a degenerate and oppressed land to its former glory. For even his ignorant adversary he has only pity and non-violence. His indomitable power and defiance of death derive chiefly from his self-possession and complete lack of self-interest.”

As an ardent follower and believer of Gandhi and his position in India’s freedom struggle, Nandlal’s reflections, translated from Bengali by the revered artist mentor K.G. Subramanyan, tug at my heart strings. “Anguish for human misery has turned him into an unpossessing hermit working for the well-being of others all the time. He has subdued his senses and has accepted God as his chosen. These attributes of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi overwhelm me.”

“What a miracle took place when, yearning for India’s freedom, Gandhiji went on the Dandi march. The entire country was roused with confidence in some unique strength. Glory filled my heart. I felt blessed and life became meaningful.” (N. Bose, translated by K. G. Subramanyan, Vision and Creation, Calcutta, 1999, p. 232)

Ram Kinkar’s Gandhi

Equally epic is Ram Kinkar Baij’s Gandhi . “ When you look at Ram Kinkar Baij’s Gandhi you understand that sculpture must transcend reality and go beyond to create its own language in time,” says Gadanayak. “When he created Gandhi with his Dandi, Ram Kinkar  moved away from the insipid realism of the British and instead created a work that was more about  capturing the spirit of his subject. There is a tremendous energy in his work and superb use of rough textures created with his hands. Here he stands as an undaunted figure, there is heroism in the bending posture  of his body, it speaks of determination and courage.”

Contemporary installations

“Nandalal Bose immortalised the image of Gandhi’s Dandi march,” says Gadanayak. “We decided to recreate a hut with a video montage with mounds of salt to personify  the spirit of the event. The second installation creates the salt riverine with neon lights and salt and a series of small huts that speak of the journey. I wanted the display to reflect the reality of the past in the commentary of the present as a visual journey.”

The installation brings back the words of Gandhi. Nine days before the march, in a letter to the Viceroy, Gandhi wrote, “Nothing but organised non-violence can check the organised violence of British Government. [...] This non-violence will be expressed through civil disobedience for the moment confined to the inmates of the Sabarmati Ashram, but ultimately designed to cover all those who choose to join the movement.”

 The ensuing result is that it simply but powerfully captures the spirit and persona of Gandhi as the leader of a new movement. Gadanayak also recalls that it was during this time that Nandlal Bose  created several posters in support of the civil disobedience movement but they were immediately torn down and destroyed, virtually none  survived. At the NGMA Gandhi’s Dandi serves as an apt epitaph in the celebration of 150 years of the Mahatma.

(The show is on till February 10.)