How Kanu Gandhi Captured Gandhi: An Intimate Perspective through the Lens

And the man who was and still is synonymous with non-violence and truth came to be alive in images captured by Kanu Gandhi — Grand Nephew of Mahatma Gandhi. His photos take us through a personal view of the everyday at Mahatma Gandhi as there are probably not many. This essay explores how Kanu Gandhi used his camera to capture Mahatma Gandhi and the images becoming not just documentation but also an aesthetic expression of a public man in private.

The Photographer and His Subject: An Unparalleled Access

Kanu Gandhi was no ordinary lensman. During his formative years he lived with Mahatma Gandhi at his ashram and was related to him. This granted him the unique opportunity of being able to move in spaces where professional photographers or journalists could never barely hope to be — Gandhi’s offices, his personal living quarters and so on. It was that closeness which lent Kanu’s pictures the inimitable feel; they are not pictures of a distant leader but of one living being encapsulate into an ideology of simplicity, humility and non-violence. Kanu was granted permission to photograph Gandhi but with certain conditions: no flash, the cost was on him (equipment and film- he had to fund himself) While these constraints are confirmed through some unremarkable images, Kanu has managed to supply us with a powerful series of shots that cumulatively merge the simplicity of Gandhi, his daily drills and his rare academic-reflexive moments. Growing up, his photographs show us a Gandhi who, at the same time that he was consumed with spiritual and national work, was equally venerable and human.

Capturing the Essence of Gandhi’s Ideals

Kanu Gandhi’s click are not only photographs but also strong emotions on the principles of truth, non-violence (ahimsa) and self-discipline that Gandhi practiced in his life. Among the most iconic is his photograph of Gandhi with his spinning wheel. Gandhi through the charkha (spinning wheel) called out for self-reliance and it went on to become an emblem of Swadeshi movement. Here, Gandhi is simply lost in mindfulness, his concentration as fixed as the spinning.

Nothing more perfectly captures the effortless union of action and reflection that was at the heart of Gandhi’s philosophy. The circular wheel capable of rotation is a Plucky that occurs consistently across Kanu’s images and represents the continuously-shaped wheels in Gandhi’s life and his battle again the British monopolisation of India. Kanu could relay, in images, the roots of Gandhi’s principles and how this played out in his daily life. In these portraits, Kanu was not simply clicking a person but collecting the spirit of a movement which bore promise of bringing masses to power through self-sustainability.

The Human Side of a Global Icon

Millions looked up to Gandhi as a political and spiritual leader, but Kanu Gandhi’s photos offer us a rare glimpse of his personal, human face. Among Kanu’s subjects were Gandhi while he was in prayer, meditative, playing with children. Another striking image shows Kasturba massaging Gandhi’s feet; it’s a rare display of the couple showing emotional intimacy between them.

These pictures are a startling reminder that behind the larger-than-life image that Gandhi has, he was still somebody’s husband, father and friend. Kanu used his photography to provide a visual representation of the often conflicting public and private persona of Gandhi. In this, they humanise him, offering us a man with emotions and failures to give someone everyone can relate to. Still in these moments, we can sense how fully committed he was to his principles even in the most day-to-day walks of life.

The Aesthetic Simplicity of Kanu’s Photography

The simplicity in the style of Kanu Gandhi’s photography is as minimalistic as the way life was followed by Gandhi. His images are bare, just like the life that Gandhi lived. The majority of the photographs are in black and white, which accentuates line, form, texture, and light. But as technology was of no use to Gandhi, Kanu needed to rely on the essence of the moment and click him in available light without creating any fiction.

The photos are straightforward which invites the viewer to contemplate completely on the subjects; Gandhi. Through his silence in prayer or musings with his followers, Kanu captures the minimalism of each moment and minute spirituality within. At the same time, however, these images move beyond their historical specificity to give us a vision of Gandhi that speaks more directly— These images speak across time and history in ways that brings forth connections to Gandhian ideals.

Kanu Gandhi’s Role as a Historian

One of the most tumultuous times in India’s fight for independence has been beautifully captured by Kanu in his photographs which today have a historical significance beyond their aesthetic and personal value. Photographer Bhavnani captured key moments of Gandhi’s association with the freedom struggle such as Salt Satyagraha, fasts and travelling across India. Kanu thereby retained these slices of Indian history that might have been lost otherwise.

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