Being Mahatma

What is it about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi that still manages to provoke the big clever embracing conversation For Lavina Baldota the mind behind conceptualising and cocurating SantatiMahatma Gandhi Then Now Next exhibition itrsquos the bittersweet recollection of shared memories of Gandhiji and her grandfatherinlaw Abheraj Baldota during the freedom movementSo when she decided to distil her imaginings into the concrete form of a retrospective to coincide with Gandhirsquos 150th birth anniversary she immediately found likeminded collaborators first in designer Gaurang Shah and consequently in Gaurav Gupta Rajesh Pratap Singh couturier Jean Franccedilois Lesage light designers Prateek Jain and Gautam Seth and architect Ashiesh ShahAnd while there are physical pieces of Gandhirsquos memorabilia loaned by Mumbaibased collector philatelist and numismatist Kishore Jhunjhunwala there is also ample evidence of how the mouthpiece of Gandhirsquos Swadeshi movement mdash the khadi mdash surrenders to designersrsquo extreme creative risks Gaurang Shah worked with a series of 30 milestone paintings by Raja Ravi Varma and wove them into exquisite pallus of sarees in khadi Couture embroidery teamed up with khadi in Lesagersquos project to translate Gandhirsquos letters onto fabric scrollsThe result are 10 exhibits featuring works that have lent their perspective on Indiarsquos Mahatma a reminder of how the idea of him is reinvented over and over again always asking to be rediscoveredPrateek Jain and Gautam Seth of Klove Studio AhimsaPlaying with the usual dichotomy of abstraction and representation past and present two dimensions and three Ahimsa inspires haunting memories of Gandhi mdash his rounded spectacles inspiring metal lights in eclipsing circles and bars suspended on strings perched above a bed of fused salt to represent the Dandi March that became a symbol of Indiarsquos freedom movementNavkirat SodhildquoPoetry is a seamless medium does not take sides and creates a universe amidst itself with no egordquo says Sodhi She was entrusted with the Herculean task of connecting the multifaceted man that was Gandhi to the creative impulses of the participating artists and designers Case in point ldquoA world will stand still A world will pay heed A world can begin to turn around in the quiet spinning of a wheelrdquo is scrolled beside a handloom wheel positioned at Gaurang Shahrsquos khadi sarees displayIt took a sort of submission on the poetrsquos part where she found herself invoking the Mahatmarsquos spirit sometimes understanding but mostly questioning his utopian messages for the world Gandhi takes over He narrates her poems her presence almost diminishing into his ldquoI have written them poems in first person and his name is never stated perhaps a rare mention of Bapurdquo Check out her solo installation where the simplicity of the verse ldquoCan you hear me Bapuhelliprdquo is captured on a nonconfrontational white canvasRajesh Pratap Singh NeelMuch of Gandhirsquos liberal nature lent him a canvaslike quality that was distorted tipped or suppressed after his death in the course of elevating him to the Father of the Nation He remains a blank canvas that people feel free to draw on with the strokes of their beliefs and paranoia tilting him to suit their inclinations Singhrsquos Neel is rather telling of Mahatmarsquos anguish if he were to be among us today An immersive threedimensional sensory study Gandhirsquos face installation sits atop an Indigohued water tank Sculpted from hundreds of nails his head is tugged in one direction by a mesh of threads in orange and green held by miniature men while one fragile figurine attempts to veer him in the other direction with the waning strength of white strandsGaurav Gupta TruthGandhi was 78 when he passed away ldquoBut he had planned his life until 125 I listened to his recreated heartbeat and it was perfectrdquo says Gupta alluding to his visit to The National Gandhi Museum where researchers have gathered the ECG details from different stages of Gandhirsquos life and recreated his heartbeat on the digital medium This heartbeat forms the circumference of Guptarsquos Truth Inside it rests the sanctum for reflection sculpted scoops of fabrics intermeshed into an infinity symbol that multiplies and develops depths as you gaze down on its mirrored baseTILL November 15 11 am to 6 pm closed on MondaysAT National Gallery of Modern Art MG Road FortCALL 22881969Catch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates