The beauty of the Gandhi Museum
Published:Monday | December 27, 2021 | 12:05 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
Dandi Kutir, located in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, is easily the most fascinating museum I have ever visited.
The 41-metre-high conical dome is India’s largest and only museum built on the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
More popularly known as the Gandhi Museum, the dome, which symbolises a salt mound, is a representation of Gandhi’s famous Dandi March.
In 1930, Gandhi embarked on a historic march, from Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad to the village of Dandi, against the salt tax imposed by the British regime.
The 1882 Salt Act had given the British a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt.
Even though salt was freely available on the coasts of India, Indians were forced to buy it from the colonisers.
The basic food ingredient became out of reach for the common man.
Tour guide Kaushik Rajput explained that upon reaching the seashore in Dandi, Gandhi broke the law by producing illegal salt.
It later turned into a mass movement throughout India, as millions broke salt laws by either making salt or buying illegal salt.
The tour guide added that the wide canal of water around Dandi Kutir is symbolic of the sea.
The experiential museum offered up a dramatic biographical narrative on Gandhi’s life, which was showcased through audiovisual equipment, 360-degree projections, 3D mapping, holography and transparent LED screens.
The museum recreated Gandhi’s experience on a train to an Indian state, Uttar Pradesh, and, through visual simulation, I felt as if I was actually on the moving train years ago.
In one of the 360-degree theatres, I was seated in the middle of the room and when the audiovisual aid went off, it immediately transported me to the meeting in South Africa.
The museum also boasts an interactive screen which allows visitors to answer questions about Gandhi’s life.
The ground floor covers the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha spread around the world.
The first floor details his travels across the country, as well as the Indian independence movement.
In addition, there is a holographic impression of Sabarmati Ashram spreading the message of self-reliance, aimed at a new economic and social order based on self-sufficient, non-exploitative village communities of the past.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, the 360-degree theatre depicts Gandhi’s inspiring leadership in the famous agitation in South Africa, when he led the Great March of Indian residents from Natal to Transvaal.
Finally, the third floor showcases the childhood memories of Gandhi and portrays in 3D projection mapping, the social set-up of the time.
Dandi Kutir was quite a fascinating visit and holds a fountain of knowledge about Gandhi’s life.