Finding the Mahatma in Mumbai

Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya is on UNESCO Tentative List as part of The Sites of Satyagraha proposal. PIC/FIONA FERNANDEZ

The place was empty," was the reply from my colleague, who had returned after a visit to Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya for an assignment. It was a couple of days before the Mahatma's birth anniversary, and she had to report on the activities planned for October 2. As I glanced at the photos she had clicked on her phone, I noticed the lack of visitors within the sections. "It was early, so maybe that's why…?" she suggested. It made for a grinding reality check.

I've visited the memorial museum on several occasions, and apart from key dates like October 2 and January 30, Independence Day, and Republic Day, the footfalls are far from overwhelming. It was dedicated as a memorial museum to the country on October 2, 1955, by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who had famously said, "Mani Bhavan in Bombay will ever remain a precious memory to all those who visited it on many occasions when Gandhiji used to stay here."

I recall the curiosity the first time I had visited the space as a wide-eyed collegian; the sight of the Laburnum trees lining both sides of the charming lane in Gamdevi, was a soothing welcome to the address, the abode of the torchbearer for peace in India and the world. The space was an oasis of calm. The bustle of the city had miraculously been drowned out. Since my first visit, that vibe hasn't changed.

A tableau in the museum and historical building, which depicts the last moments of Kasturba Gandhi. Pic/Ashish Raje

There's a lot to learn beyond our History textbooks about the Mahatma while at Mani Bhavan: From how he learnt spinning, to taking over Young India and Navjivan weekly journals in English and Gujarati respectively, to deciding to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement on December 31, 1931, and being arrested in his tent on the terrace of Mani Bhavan on the morning of January 4, 1932. The discoverability is fascinating and sobering.

The library is awe-inspiring, given the sheer number of titles by and on Gandhi and Gandhian thought. My guess is that it could be in the range of over 50,000! I've always noticed more overseas than Indian visitors pore over them in this section, and broach countless queries to staffers about the Mahatma's writings. The Picture Gallery includes significant photographs, as well as letters and articles written by and about Mahatma Gandhi. There are also a few replicas of his belongings and models of his birthplace, Sabarmati Ashram, among other places that he lived in.

Gandhiji's room on the second floor is another huge draw, since it's the closest where one can piece together his simple existence, from his slippers and spectacles, to the charkha on which he spun khadi. Our favourite, however, are the recently restored 28 tableaux that depict episodic moments in Gandhiji's life. These iconic dioramas were created by Sushila Gokhale-Patel and have been on display on the second floor of the 19, Laburnum Road landmark since 1971. The showcase includes papier-mâché-plaster human mini figures placed in wooden boxes with hand-made textiles that she had conceptualised, sourced, and draped on these mini figures. These vintage showstoppers remain a big draw among visitors, a positive sign especially in the digital era.

Recently, five new sites and transnational proposals were included in India's UNESCO Tentative List, which included the Sites of Satyagraha. This is a serial transnational proposal connecting India and South Africa and includes nine properties across both nations, including Sabarmati Ashram, Mani Bhavan Complex, Sevagram Ashram, Aga Khan Palace, along with Pietermaritzburg Railway Station and Phoenix Settlement in South Africa. The news couldn't have come at a more opportune time, given how this important landmark still remains hidden from the gaze of most Mumbaikars.

This recognition, we hope, will catapult the landmark and attract more eyeballs, particularly among younger people, given the bubble created by social media that many exist in; one that is dictated by those who chose to ‘influence' the world in other ways. Honestly, who bigger an influencer than Mahatma Gandhi to draw in the crowds! Here's hoping this inclusion will catapult Mani Bhavan's position even more, given the timely messaging that it represents in today's materialistic, rushed world.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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