Peeping into Past…. Gandhi from Swiss Lens!!


March 1930, a Swiss lens man leaves for a 20,000 km road journey, by car; and his works on our Satyagraha leader, freedom fighter, renowned for ahimsa (non-violence) worldwide, anti-British movement… all were published in his book Indien Kampft in 1931… which as a cherished treasure have now been brought to India.

Mahatma Gandhi in his daily routine, very personal moments, candid photography clicked by World famous photographer Walter Bosshard. Not only this, he travelled across Asia and captured a parallel world where Mao Zedong, another revolutionary in China, was preparing for a war.

Gandhi and Mao have contrasting similarities; both have been activists taking completely different paths as fighters. One chose non-violence for his country leading anti-British Quit India Movement and Mao in China fought a revolutionary battle against the caste and class demarcations.

Walter visited China in 1938 where he also made a silent film on Mao, the training of Red Army. He photographed the nearly invisible cave houses of Yan’an, the bombing of Hankou and China’s nomadic communities.

Walter was a renowned name not only in photojournalism but his pen too had a mighty power. He built for himself a repute of a bridge builder between Asia and Europe.

While spending time with Gandhiji, he sought permission to take his pictures for which camera shy Mahatma replied, “I have sworn never to ‘pose’ for a photographer! Try your luck perhaps it might even turn out well”.

And today these very personal, candid moments of shaving, eating, talking, sleeping in his very basic, inexpensive, rugged attire Khadi are the most precious pieces of art which India could get by the archival collectives from Switzerland.

Never seen in India before, the second stop of Envisioning Asia, works of Walter Bosshard are exhibited from 4th January 2019 to 10th February 2019 at Satya Art Gallery, Navjivan Trust Ahmedabad.


The entire concept is co-produced by Critical Collective – Delhi and Swiss Foundation for Photography, Winterthur, Switzerland. The exhibition is curated by Gayatri Sinha – Director and Founder of Critical Collective; and Peter Pfrunder – Director of the Swiss Foundation for Photography. 
Location: Navajivan Trust, B/h Gujarat Vidypapith, Off, Ashram Rd, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380014, India

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