Visitors of the national cartoon and video-photography exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi, which got under way at VJT Hall on Monday, are taken back in time to revisit the milestones that paved the way for the Indian independence movement.
The two-day exhibition has been jointly organised by the Kerala Media Academy, Information and Public Relations Department, Cultural Affairs Department, and the Archives Department in connection with the State government’s observance of the 70th Martyrs Day.
Among the photographs and historical documents displayed are those which renew memories of the historic visits made by the Mahatma Gandhi to Kerala. Rare manuscripts of Gandhi’s writings and official documents that pertained to his involvement in the Vaikom Satyagraha are on display.
There are also photographs of his visit to Kannur, Guruvayur, and Kanyakumari in 1934 and to Thiruvananthapuram in 1937, during which he visited social reformer Ayyankali at Venganoor. It was during the same visit to Kerala that Mahatma Gandhi had conducted a ‘pilgrimage’ to mark the Temple Entry Proclamation.
Another exhibits at the programme include correspondences, including ‘confidential’ ones, that had been circulated within the Home Department that took stock of the political climate that prevailed in various parts of the country including Punjab and Gujarat after the launch of the satyagraha movement.
Several posters that capture various aspects of freedom struggle and Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings dot the walls of VJT Hall. Cartoons, prepared by noted cartoonists Shankar, David Low and J.C. Hill, are yet another highlight of the exhibition. Documentaries that are based on Mahatma Gandhi are also featured at the exhibition. These included works obtained from the National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi.
Inaugurating the exhibition, Minister for Cultural Affairs A.K. Balan said Gandhi’s teachings and values remained relevant even now. He added the government would organise meets to retrace the journey that were made by Mahatma Gandhi to 37 places in the State. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will formally launch the State-level celebrations of the Martyrs Day observance on Tuesday, he said.
