Eternal Gandhi and Special Projects

The Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museums, commonly referred to as Gandhi Peace Centres, skilfully intertwine the extraordinary life of the Mahatma through rhythmic and evocative cadences. Adorned with a captivating array of photographs, paintings, film footage, video clips, and various other media, these museums provide visitors with a remarkable and immersive experience that imparts a profound sense of history.

"This uniquely innovative, first-of-its-kind digital exhibition on the Mahatma is the brainchild of Kumar Mangalam Birla," says Mrs. Rajashree Birla, who spearheaded the interactive digital museum at Delhi under the aegis of the Eternal Gandhi & Special Projects initiative of Aditya Birla Group. "This is our way of paying homage to the father of the nation. As perhaps you may be aware, this place, the Gandhi Smriti, of which this exhibition is a riveting part, was our erstwhile family house — the Birla House. This 12-bedroom house was built in 1928 by Shri G. D. Birla, my great-grandfather-in-law. It was also the house where my husband was born. I still vividly recollect the happy times that we, as a family, spent over here.

It was also home to Gandhiji, who was very close to Shri G. D. Birla, whom he referred to affectionately as his confidante. Our house has been a witness to several epochal moments. It was from here that Gandhiji parleyed with national and international leaders of repute, holding several clandestine meetings to overthrow the yoke of the Britishers.

Through my great-grandfather-in-law, Shri G. D. Birla, the Birla family shared a symbiotic bond with the Mahatma. The Mahatma's values of trusteeship, of truth, of non-violence, of justice deeply influenced our family's patriarch. And these have permeated generation after generation in the Birla family and we look upon it as a legacy.

At another level, for quite some time, Kumar Mangalam, deeply influenced by the humane values that Gandhiji and Shri G. D. Birla espoused, felt a compelling need to present these in a contemporary fashion to the youth and the children of today. To give them a sense of history, to help them realise at what cost we won our freedom, to give them a feel of our leaders, of our nation in its making — he thought, was worthwhile. Most importantly, to take the Mahatma's message of shanti (peace), of satya (truth), of ahimsa (non-violence), ekta (the universality of mankind), in today's day and age in a grippingly interesting way.

To rediscover these truths that the Mahatma lived by, we thought we should take them as voyagers on an energising and revealing journey that could touch them in a subliminal way and embed his life's message in their psyche. This has been our endeavour.

To do so, we have created this technological marvel, admirably conceptualised and executed by Dr. Ranjit Makkuni, a renowned computer and multi-media expert."

The exhibition is opened under the aegis of the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, of which the Prime Minister is the chairman. It is situated at Tees January Marg, New Delhi, serving as the distinguished venue for this remarkable showcase.

Inaugurating the exposition on 14 April, 2005, in New Delhi, at the Gandhi Smriti, the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said, "It was a rare honour to inaugurate this most precious exhibition which reminds us of the high noon of India's freedom struggle. The Gandhi Smriti, where the exposition is housed, is a sacred place for all of us who come here to pay a tribute and draw inspiration from the Mahatma's life." Echoing Einstein, the Nobel laureate's words on Gandhi, he said, "Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

Generations across the world have come to revere the life of the Mahatma. "Keeping this spirit alive is admirable," he opined, applauding the endeavours of Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla and Mrs. Rajashree Birla to take the message of the Mahatma in such a  novel manner. Gandhiji's values of truth, ahimsa, peace, and brotherhood are being constantly rediscovered in society.

Dr. Manmohan Singh hoped that the exhibition would ignite an even greater interest in the life and work of the father of the nation — in India and beyond. "This is now national property and we are eternally grateful to the Birlas for giving us this national treasure. The Birla family has done a lot for the development of the country," he acknowledged.

This eternal journey towards project Shashwat Gandhi has unfolded as a momentous and significant historical journey. This transformative initiative emerged from the visionary inspiration of Smt. Rajashree Birla and her esteemed team at Aditya Birla Group. Driven by a shared commitment to contribute to the perpetual legacy of the Mahatma, our revered Bapu, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, this endeavour has now culminated in the magnificent realisation of the Eternal Gandhi multimedia exposition. "There is no word to describe it in English. It is an 'adbhut' experience and will inspire millions," affirmed Dr. Gangrade, Vice Chairman of the Gandhi Smriti.

The Kaleidoscopic Life of Gandhiji

Adds Dr. Makunni, "The project presents a language of physical interface actions derived from classical symbols. Such as the spinning wheel, turning of the prayer wheels, touching symbolic pillars, the act of hands touching sacred objects, collaboratively constructed quilts, sacred chanting in the collective group — the satsanga, and rotating of prayer beads. These tradition-based interactions inspire a rich panorama of tactile interfaces that allow people to access the multimedia imagery and multidimensional mind of Gandhiji”.

The technology developed goes beyond the mere scanning of Gandhian images. It extends Gandhian ideals into novel domains of information technology and product design, and on a broader scale, facilitates the creation of profound meaning in a globalised world. A good example of this is the interpretation of the Gandhian commitment to hand-based production and its inherent connection with nature within the context of contemporary culture-conscious design. The contribution of the spectrum of artists, spanning wide geographic boundaries and disciplines, illustrates the universal resonance in Gandhian messages.

The Eternal Gandhi multimedia exposition embraces the contributions of computer scientists, modern designers, mosaic makers, craftsmen, artists, and wood carvers who pour their creativity into their respective crafts as a devoted prayer, honouring the profound vision of Gandhiji. This collective effort can be likened to likita japa, the continuous repetition of a written mantra that symbolises an eternal remembrance of the Divine.

Every object showcased in the exhibition, whether it be a luminous pixel, a meticulously crafted bitmap displayed on a screen, a captivating animation, an accurately designed circuit, or an intricately handcrafted artifact, embodies the essence of a living prayer. Through this exhibition, the Gandhian perspective is reaffirmed, emphasising a steadfast commitment to honouring the dignity of hands, bridging societal divides, harnessing the creative potential of rural communities, and celebrating cultural diversity amidst the pressures of homogenisation.

Continues Mrs. Birla, "Recoursing to world-class futuristic technology and through innovatively blending the Indian ethos, we have evolved an interactive process. A process wherein the seeker and the teacher through the multimedia presentation engage in a fascinating dialogue on the life and times of the Mahatma.

“The entire walk through the museum serves as a stimulus, even a resurgence into Gandhism and is undeniably a serendipitous experience. It can be a guiding light for this generation and for all generations to come, given its potential to ignite the minds of the young and spark in them an unquenchable thirst for truth, for values, for compassion," beams Mrs. Birla.

After its successful first project at Delhi, the Eternal Gandhi & Special Projects initiative then successfully took a mobile multimedia museum to Taiwan. This generated a lot of appreciation for such a novel concept, so much so that a prominent Trust in Birmingham, UK approached Aditya Birla Group for setting up such a multimedia museum there.

This resulted in the setting up of a new Gandhi Peace Centre at Birmingham, UK in 2018.

Following the resounding success of the Birmingham Gandhi Peace Centre, the officials from the Government of Odisha approached Aditya Birla Group with a proposal for a similar project in Bhubaneswar. This collaboration resulted in the establishment of yet another Gandhi Peace Centre in Bhubaneswar, jointly curated by the Department of Tourism, Odisha and Aditya Birla Group.

The prestigious endeavour came to fruition in February 2020, guided by the expert curation of Mr. Birad Yajnik. Mr. Yajnik, the Director and Curator at Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museums and Trustee of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, brings his extensive expertise in the field. Additionally, he leads Visual Quest India Pvt. Ltd., a renowned boutique design and technology company that provides its services to Fortune 50 companies worldwide.

Mr. Nitin Mathuria, President, Eternal Gandhi & Special Projects, Aditya Birla Group, who took over the reins of the Eternal Gandhi Project in October 2020 under the able guidance of Mrs. Rajashree Birla, informs, “Aditya Birla Group and Eternal Gandhi Project continued with this legacy. When travelling to USA in 2021, I was approached by the Gandhian Society (a non-profit organisation headed by an octogenarian Gandhian, Mr. Bhadra Butala) with a request for a similar project in New Jersey. This discussion progressed with the Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey expressing a keen desire to have such a museum set up at Atlantic City since he desired a strong yet subliminal message of non-violence there. Atlantic City boasts of around 27 million tourists every year and was hence an ideal place for such a museum.”

This led to a brand new GPC set up at Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in October 2022 – the first of its kind Gandhi digital museum in the United States.

He informs that this new GPC was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Marty Small Sr., Mayor Atlantic City, New Jersey and Hon’ble Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India, New York in the august presence of Mr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma, and other eminent dignitaries.

Since its inauguration, this GPC at New Jersey has been generating a lot of interest and a good number of visits by tourists is seen every day.

A brand new Gandhi Peace Centre is now under process at Pune which the Eternal Gandhi Project team hopes to complete by 2024 and which would be a legacy of the Mahatma for decades to come.

Mr. Mathuria further adds “In order to provide some beautiful memories to our visitors, we have chosen an array of beautiful aesthetic souvenirs which we sell at cost price at these museums as well as provide at cost price to our franchisees running shops at prominent airport like Mumbai.”

Souvenir Samples