Marking a death anniversary is always painful and sombre. More so, if it's the 68th year since our father of the nation and one of the greatest political leader of modern times, Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic Nathuram Godse.
“But the thing with great people is that even their death can be a source of inspiration for all of us. Now, more than ever before, are Gandhian ideals of peace and non-violence relevant in human societies. Such days also give us an opportunity to pause and rethink on incorporating some aspects of Gandhian philosophy in our busy lives, while celebrating the great man's own life journey, who famously said 'my life is my message',” noted Archana Tandon, a South-Island based Justice of Peace and custodian of 34 rare black and white photographs of the Gandhi.
Last displayed publicly at the Lincoln Event Centre and Darfield Library during the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in 2015, the photographs themselves have an interesting history.
“These were taken by noted Mumbai-based photographer D. R. D. Wadia during the 1940s and comprise of portraits and informal images of Gandhi ji with Pandit Nehru, Mohammed Jinnah and other major political leaders of the Indian independence movement. Some were taken during his village visits, at mass public gatherings and at formal political meetings,” informed Tandon.
These photographs or rather their negatives came to New Zealand when Wadia's grandson, Aditya Malik, a former senior lecturer at the Canterbury University immigrated here in 2000s. When Malik returned to India for good some time back, Tandon agreed to become the custodian of the priceless collection.
The photographs were put on public display for the first time in 2002 at the Canterbury Museum under the title, Gandhi: A Photographic Exhibition. Later, the collection moved around the country for a while. Then, again in 2010, the photographs formed the part of Colours of India—a week-long festival with an Indian theme organised by the Christchurch Art Gallery.
“While there was a gap of five years because of the earthquakes, we have restarted the public display last year and plan to continue it henceforth. While it's good that the collection is mobile giving a lot more people the chance to witness this historical treasure, ideally, in due course, it would be great if these 34 photographs find a permanent place in Canterbury's historical landscape,” she concluded.