Gandhi with his secretary Mahadev Desai. Pic courtesy/Maps of India
According to Vikram Sridhar, a 36-year-old storyteller and theatre practitioner based out of Bengaluru, Mahatma Gandhi is everywhere. "He's one of the very few Indians who's relevant across the country, spanning generations. He's in markets and roads named after him in most towns in India, in statues at crossroads, in our history books, and in our pockets," points out Sridhar. He adds that he found that the political icon had a local connect wherever he would travel, be it a school in Bengaluru or a museum in Kolkata. It is this localisation of the national figure that Sridhar will explore in his online storytelling performance, titled Mohandas to Mahatma Gandhi, on Sunday.
We've all grown up calling him the Mahatma, and, know of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's life from textbooks, films and biographies — from his advocacy for civil rights in South Africa, to the Non-cooperation Movement for self-governance and his fight to make available proper treatment for leprosy. But the people who make him the Mahatma are lost in the footnotes, shares Sridhar. "There is so much of him that was documented. And yet, we don't know of the encounters that he had with the people who influenced his life," adds the storyteller.
ADVERTISEMENT
Vikram Sridhar
In his performance, which is facilitated by Art Khoj, Sridhar will trace Gandhi's journey through stories of these lesser-known people. "For instance, there is Parchure Shastri, who was suffering from leprosy, and whose condition inspired the establishment of the first leprosy hospital in India. Then there's Baba Amte who carried forward his fight to provide care for leprosy patients; and Mahadev Desai, his secretary [and often, known as Gandhi's Boswell], among several others who left a mark on his life," says Sridhar, who first performed the piece around four years ago.
Over the past few years, he has performed it only a few times, with a different version emerging every time. He adds that apart from delving into books and the Internet, he has sought out places the freedom fighter visited and gathered anecdotes from people like his former principal who met Gandhi. "Everyone seems to have a memory associated with him. And that's what makes him a folklore," shares Sridhar, who specialises in performing classical stories which include folklores, mythological tales and heritage narratives.
He will also be showing some audiovisuals of Gandhi, singing the song Vaishnava janato, playing the chodaki, and interacting with the audience through the chat option during the online show. "It's not a history class; I would like the viewers to question, learn more about him, and through all of this, be able to find the Mahatma in them, and around them," he hopes.
On August 16, at 7 pm
Log on to insider.in
Cost Rs 230
Keep scrolling to read more news
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
