Education to freedom struggle: An exhibition of Mahatma Gandhi’s journey

Last Updated : Jan 31, 2025

The National Archives of India and the National Gandhi Museum on Thursday launched “Journey of the Mahatma: Through His Own Documents”, an exhibition chronicling the life of Mahatma Gandhi, at Rajghat in New Delhi.

The special exhibition, launched on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, comprises 30 panels showcasing Gandhi’s journey –– from his education in England, formative years in South Africa to key moments during India’s freedom struggle. It features a collection of photographs, letters, government files, and archival footage, with some of them never been seen by the public before. The project is a collaboration between the National Gandhi Museum at Rajghat, National Archives of India, the National Film Archives of India, and Prasar Bharati Archives.

The exhibition’s most distinctive feature is the inclusion of British government files, once classified, that reveal how the colonial authorities perceived him.

Legal papers from 1922 detail the sedition case against Gandhi —a charge he never denied. “When the judge asked him about the articles, Gandhi pleaded guilty. He never denied or apologized,” National Gandhi Museum director A Annamalai said. “He said love cannot be forced — it has to come from within.”

The idea behind the exhibition was simple yet ambitious: to tell Gandhi’s story not just through his own words but also through the eyes of the British administration that sought to control him. “These papers tell a parallel story, of a government struggling to contain a man who led with neither weapons nor armies, but with words and ideas,” Annamalai said.  

Curating the exhibition was not easy. Government archives are protective of their collections, reluctant to part with delicate documents.Negotiating access required months of discussion and strict conditions on how materials would be used. “Every institution considers its archives very precious. Normally, they don’t want to share,” Annamalai said. “We are grateful to them because our goal was simply to showcase these important historical materials to the public.”  

For Annamalai and his team, curating the exhibition was also a process of discovery. Among the most striking finds was a grainy video of Gandhi massaging and caring for Parchure Shastri, a leprosy patient who lived in his ashram. For decades, Gandhi’s work with leprosy patients has been known—his insistence on breaking the stigma and his belief in service over charity.

Also on display are Gandhi’s health records — blood test results, eye examinations, medical reports from his fasts. One document, a handwritten health bulletin from March 8, 1939, read: “Gandhiji broke his fast yesterday afternoon. He has been taking fruit juice, honey, and gud. He had a very good night, woke up much refreshed and the general condition is better. He has been advised complete rest in bed for at least three more days.”

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