Kanu's Gandhi: Rare photos of Mahatma by his nephew shed light on final decade of his life

An exhibition of rare and intimate photographs of Mahatma Gandhi by his grandnephew and personal chronicler, Kanu Gandhi, is currently on display at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, until 26 February 2017. Titled Kanu’s Gandhi, the exhibition has been curated by Prashant Panjiar and Sanjeev Saith.

Kanu Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandnephew came to live with him in the Sevagram Ashram and became his lifelong follower. Gandhi allowed Kanu to photograph him on the condition that no flash would be used and he would never be asked to pose. Though some of Kanu Gandhi’s images are well known to us, he was never credited for them. And even though some of his images have been reproduced in books on Gandhi, his work has not yet been published as one body of work nor has his work been acknowledged for its historical and artistic importance. This exhibition (following the publication of Nazar Photography Monographs 03 – Kanu’s Gandhi), corrects this anomaly and gives a forgotten great photographer his due credit.

Culled from a long forgotten archive, these are rare and intimate photographs of the Mahatma during the last ten years of his life.