Alumna Update: Ranjini Chatterjee
This week 2007 alumna Ranjini Chatterjee shares her experiences curating and designing the Gandhi Bhavan in Kolkata. The erstwhile Hyderi Manzil hosted Gandhi during the August and September of 1947 making it a structure of great historical significance.
Be sure to scroll down for a quick virtual tour of the space.
My Experience Curating the Gandhi Bhavan, Kolkata, India
Having a professional practice in advertising and design for over 15 years now...it is hard to pick a project which you are the proudest of. But the project I am going to talk about, clearly stands out as one of the most enriching experiences I have had in my career as a designer.
Hyderi Manzil is a significant historical landmark in Kolkata – the house which hosted Mahatma Gandhi for a long time during the pre-independence Hindu Muslim riots in Bengal. The West Bengal Government wanted to restore and conserve this building as a museum, open to public. The aim was to show the deep connection Gandhi had with Bengal and how he spearheaded so many revolutions from here.
I was approached as a designer to design the permanent installations inside the new museum, that would narrate Gandhi’s story to the public. Of course, it was a project which excited me instantly. I was particularly interested because of my love for museums in general. I find museums a place of inspiration and wonder. It started with my time in Italy as a graphic design student in Florence in 2007, generously funded and encouraged by the Inlaks Foundation.
I used to spend hours at the magnificent Uffizi gallery, and various other popular and forgotten museum/art spaces in Florence, Milan and Rome. Each time very subtly, it would unravel different sides of the multi layered public history. And each time it would be a different experience. Later, when I travelled to London, the British Museum and the Tate Gallery had similar impacts on me. The architecture and curation of great galleries are often extremely well thought out and the greatness comes out from delivering the real flavour of history, reflecting best, the subject at hand.
The team in Kolkata was spearheaded by renowned senior architect Partha Ranjan Das and his team, who did the massive restoration and redesign of the building and landscape of the Gandhi Bhavan. My team consisted of senior designer Subrata Ghosh, my three design assistants and me. The task was enormous. We had to convert the empty walls and rooms into an inspiring space, telling the story of the most influential and loved politician of all times from India! We had a little more than a month to decide on the narratives, the design, the curation of various resources which kept pouring in from different parts of the country. These included his personal belongings, original photographs with eminent leaders of the world, the arms and ammunitions surrendered to him marking the end of communal violence between the Hindus and Muslims of the war-struck country at that time. We had decided early on the project to keep the look and feel as close to ethos of Gandhi.
When I started I had very little knowledge on Gandhi apart from what we are taught in school or from quotes and anecdotes told by colleagues and family members who believed in Gandhian principles. I could never imagine the stories and learnings I would unravel, till I actually got involved in it full time. While Gandhi’s life and ideals remain an inspiration to the world, it was the complexity of his character that fascinated me. I started my extensive research with books written on him, films made on him and so on. I knew the topics are delicate to every Indian, so my research had to be solid and the narratives had to be without any bias or prejudice.
Being a rational and at times critical creative person, I did not start the project holding Mahatma Gandhi as a God figure. But when I delved deep into his life and works, what inspired me the most was his self-belief and ability to think out of the box! Even when the entire country was up in war he dared to think with compassion and empathy rather than reacting out of hatred and revenge. Not just in India but even in foreign countries where he was out of place, he showed that the strength of firm ideals and the ability to forgive can win more wars and hearts than guns and violence. The path of non-violence or Satyagraha, was not an easy one at times of war. Also, non-violence did not mean ‘’giving in’’. He brought in the biggest civil disobedience movements inspiring masses with non-violence.
The other thing that was particularly interesting was Gandhi’s interpersonal relationships with other influential personalities and peers. It is amazing to see how open he was in receiving suggestions and ideas from other stalwarts of this time. Yet very subtly and firmly he would differ from them at times, as well.
His last fast, in spite of his ill health was proof that he fought for ideals rather than sides. He went on an endless fast to urge India to release a large sum of money to Pakistan – the very reason he became a target to Hindus who ultimately assassinated him on the 28th January, 1948.
I am particularly inspired by this quote and ideal and I could relate with Mahatma Gandhi on a personal level. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
If I could sum up my experience curating the Gandhi Bhavan, Kolkata it would be… “Bande mein tha dum, Vande Mataram.”
The museum was inaugurated by eminent minsters of the State and Centre on the 2nd of October, 2019, commemorating 150 years of celebrating the Mahatma. It is open for public throughout the year and my work will be on display permanently.
