When Gandhi landed on the bustling Bombay docks on a cold winter morning in 1915, little did he know that his journey back from South Africa would mark a turning point in history.
Bombay, the nerve centre of Gandhi’s many political activities, earned an enviable place in India’s freedom struggle under his leadership. In 1919, Gandhi initiated his first nationwide protest, the satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act, in this city, which propelled him to the position of a pre-eminent political leader. It was here that the landmark Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920 was launched and in 1942, the city responded with unprecedented verve to his clarion call asking the British to quit India. Gandhi was full of dogged determination and Bombay was brimming with tremendous energy- this amalgam resulted in a powerful synergy that changed the course of the nation.
Gandhi in Bombay is interspersed with the Mahatma’s letters, speeches, published writings and 50 rare photographs depicting important events in Bombay. Together they project a scintillating vision of the city in the throes of the independence movement.
Usha Thakkar is the president of the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, India. She retired as Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, India.
Sandhya Mehta is a researcher at the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, India.