Updated: February 24, 2019 1:00:57 am
Ba and Bapu
An exhibition of paintings, made in 12 traditional Indian styles, depicts the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba.
The Aga Khan Palace in Pune holds a special place in the history of the country. It’s here that Mahatma Gandhi, Kasturba Gandhi and other freedom fighters in the Quit India movement were jailed. Also known as the Gandhi National Memorial, it houses the samadhis of Kasturba and Mahadev Desai, Gandhi’s secretary. In memory of Kasturba’s death anniversary that falls on February 22, an exhibition titled “Relive the Ideals of the Mahatma through Art” is being held at the Palace.
The exhibition presents the life and ideals of Gandhi and his companionship with Kasturba through 12 traditional painting styles from various parts of India. Important events in the life of ‘Bapu’ and ‘Ba’, as Gandhi and his wife were fondly called, have been depicted through Warli, Gond, Pattachitra, Sanjhi, and Tanjore paintings, among others.
Organised by Exim Bank, the exhibition was inagurated by actor Rohini Hattangadi, who played Kasturba in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982). The first exhibition in the series was held in Delhi and inaugurated on Martyrs’ Day.
Organised by Exim Bank, the exhibition was inagurated by actor Rohini Hattangadi, who played Kasturba in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982). The first exhibition in the series was held in Delhi and inaugurated on Martyrs’ Day.
Chhoti Tekam, the 35-year-old Gond artist from Patangarh in the tribal belt of Madhya Pradesh, had a lot to think about. “They told me that I have to depict Gandhiji and his thoughts in a Gond painting,” says Tekam, over phone from Bhopal. Tekam began painting after she moved to Bhopal from her village in Patangarh, after marriage. Over the years, she has become one of the most recognisable names in contemporary Gond art, winning several awards. Her work has been exhibited at galleries across
the country.
the country.
“I was thinking for a few days about the subject when it clicked that I could portray Gandhiji’s teen bandar (three monkeys from Gandhi’s famous maxim) as animals share a special connection with the Gond art. Adivasis live close to nature. Our songs, art and stories are full of trees, birds and animals. For example, in one of our wedding songs, the bride is seen as a bird, who flies from her mother’s house to her new abode at her in-laws. So I started painting the three monkeys and when I finished it I felt content and peaceful,” says Tekam.
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