When artists teamed up to raise funds for Gandhi statue

For a cause

Today, a life-size bronze statue of the father of nation, draped in a shawl and traditional dhoti, with his hands clasped, stands tall in London’s Parliament Square. Sharing space alongside are figures of other heroes such as Britain’s wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill, who opposed India’s independence and Mahatma Gandhi, former US president Abraham Lincoln and South African leader and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

Gandhi’s pose is captured by Philip Jackson the sculptor, from a photograph of Gandhi on the steps of 10 Downing Street during a visit to London in 1931. This year marks the 100th year since Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa and started his non-violent campaign for India's independence from Britain. Reportedly, on invitation from the British government, Lord Meghnad Desai and Lady Kishwar Desai set up ‘The Gandhi
Statue Memorial Trust’ to mark the event.

The Trust had been working over the past year to raise donations for the bronze statue. Delhi-based art curator Sunaina Anand of Art Alive Gallery, was also closely involved in the project. She worked in close association with the The Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust to raise money for the statue, for which she organised a charity exhibition, titled ‘The Mahatama’ in December last year. The exhibition brought together 28 leading Indian artists.

“Gandhi belongs to the whole world. He spent his early life not only in India, but also in London. Indeed, many of the works in the exhibition and sale reflected the international influence that the Mahatma continues to enjoy...in art, in philosophy, in politics,” Anand tells Metrolife.

The evening played host to the capital's glitterati, senior artists, art enthusiasts of the capital like Raghu Rai, Jatin Das, Paresh Maity, Rupika Chawla and HH Sir James Bevan to name a few.

Anand says, “Donations came from MNCs, social sector organisations and also individuals in large scale. In a matter of two months we were able to generate our share of contribution for the statue.”

“The look on the face of Gandhi statue is all one has to see, to understand the regard with which it has been created. His eyes are seemingly looking at the people. There is calmness, composure in the posture. Also, the main characteristic of the statue is ‘compassion’, something one cannot miss when they are modelling Gandhi,” says Anand.

The art event showcased artwork by well known artists of the country including, M F Husain, Jogen Chowdhury, Manu Parekh, Raghu Rai, Jatin Das, Haku Shah, Arpana Caur, K S Radhakrishnan, and many others. “Many of these artists took time out from their busy schedules to especially create a painting or a sculpture inspired by the Mahatma. The art show was merely a part of Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust for raising funds,” says Anand.

‘The Mahatma’ was a special show where Indian artists came forward to pay their tribute to Gandhiji, whose philosophy has touched millions of hearts across the globe. The works curated and created to support the fund raising, also enriched the collections of the art lovers,” she said.