Victoria Memorial to unveil sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi on Monday

Kolkata: Victoria Memorial Hall is all set to unveil an on–site sculpture installation of Mahatma Gandhi (accompanied by a child) on Monday November 19, as part of its ongoing celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation.

"The uniqueness of the installation lies in the fact that it has been made entirely out of natural materials like straw, bamboo and clay, not fibreglass, which is preferred by many sculptors. The style is similar to the way in which Durga idols are made. It is our effort to pay tribute to Gandhi's ideas of toleration, self-reliance and sustainability," said Jayanta Sengupta, secretary and curator of Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH).

According to Sengupta, the statue has been inspired by a photograph of Gandhi and a child, taken in the 1940s by Gandhi's grandnephew Kanu Gandhi. The latter had spent 10 years with Gandhiji during his last days and had captured some wonderful photographs of the quiet, quotidian last ten years of the widely photographed public leader.

These photographs, which are more than 40 in number, were discovered in 2015 by the Delhi-based Nazar Foundation, which also brought out an eponymous publication. The VMH had organised an exhibition titled 'Kanu's Gandhi' in March 2016 with these photographs, which was enormously successful.

"The sculpture is a reflection of Gandhi's lifestyle, who believed that the real schooling of a child lies in the experience he gets in contact with his parents and not through formal education in schools. He has always stressed upon parents spending quality time with children, which is lacking these days," Sengupta said.

The installation has been created by noted artist Debanjan Roy and organised in association with the Akar Prakar Art Gallery. The installation will be unveiled by eminent art critic and historian of art Pranabranjan Ray.

The event will also mark the beginning of Communal Harmony Week, as well as World Heritage Week, during November 19 to 25.

It may be mentioned that over the years, Kanu had taken around 2,000 photographs of Gandhi that have been exhibited worldwide. But interestingly, he did not feature in any of the photographs and led a rather sequestered life.

He maintained a reverential distance from the Mahatma and yet kept a close, watchful eye, perhaps standing on the fringes or lurking in a corner.