TRIS Exhibition at Habitat Centre reveals Mahatma Gandhi’s untold truths & visual treasures

In a time of fast-scrolling information and fleeting hashtags, how do we reintroduce the timeless ideals of Mahatma Gandhi to a generation that often questions more than it reads? Enter Depth and Diversity, an extraordinary new exhibition curated by the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (TRIS), that attempts to answer this question with substance, scholarship, and soul.

“Gandhiji is perhaps the only individual who can serve as a credible microcosm of India’s last hundred years,” says Neville Tuli, Founder of TRIS. “He embodies the strengths, the flaws, the constant search, and the incredible energy of India’s daily depth and diversity.”

The exhibition, a rich tapestry woven with rare artefacts, rare memorabilia, and a deeply interdisciplinary approach, invites viewers to see Gandhi not as a static icon, but as a restless experimenter — a seeker of holistic truth (satya), rooted in non-violence (ahimsa), love, compassion, justice, suffering, and fearlessness.

A Multi-Layered Experience

Titled Depth and Diversity, the exhibition's curatorial philosophy is as layered as its subject. TRIS, known for its vast holdings across cinema, photography, literature, and visual arts, brings together these mediums in sixteen distinct research categories to create a comprehensive understanding of Gandhi’s place in India’s cultural and political consciousness.

“Anything less than a diverse cultural vision would give us a false picture of India — focusing on isolated vistas and hence a distorted identity,” explains Tuli. “The exhibition is not just about the man, but about the rhythm and energy of the nation he helped shape.”

Shattering Preconceptions

Despite being one of the most documented figures in modern history, Gandhi remains widely misunderstood. This exhibition shakes off popular preconceptions, offering visitors unexpected and rarely seen narratives.

“There are many who think they know Gandhi,” says Tuli, “but this experience is meant to highlight just how little we understand about his depth — and by extension, India’s values and history.”

Among the lesser-known highlights are a misprinted series of Swadeshi-era matchbox tin covers (circa 1917–1920), a rare 1938 Chinese poster naming Gandhi among the ‘Great Men of the World’, and a breathtaking 1946 Tree of Congress poster showcasing 171 national leaders. Also on display are Cartier-Bresson’s iconic photographs from Gandhi’s final days, alongside rare political propaganda, early cinema memorabilia, and 78 rpm recordings.

The exhibition also features modern and contemporary artworks from masters like Nandalal Bose, Chittaprosad, and Debanjan Roy, blending India’s artistic evolution with its socio-political landscape.

Physical and Digital Harmony

While the physical exhibition emphasizes the tactile engagement with India's historical material culture, it is underpinned by TRIS’s ever-expanding digital archive. This online knowledge-base, expected to house over 1,600 unique objects by May 2025, will soon become the world’s largest visual-textual platform on Gandhiji’s life and legacy.

From rare manuscripts to curated timelines, the TRIS archive aims to offer nuanced, open-access learning — a gesture deeply aligned with Gandhian values of selfless service and democratized knowledge.

A Gift for the Future

Why make such a rich archive free to the public? For Tuli, the answer is simple and powerful. “The finest and highest-quality education should be a birthright,” he affirms. “Inequality in access is the seed of all injustice. Once Indian students and the public have this treasure in their hands, a new confidence will rise — a hunger to move forward with joyous equanimity.”

However, while Gandhiji would agree with the spirit of such open knowledge, Tuli adds that there may be philosophical disagreements regarding materialism, wealth creation, and the fiscal responsibilities of the intelligentsia. “We must discuss how to sustain a cultural civilization materially, and that includes cash-flow and financial foresight — something Gandhi might have approached differently.”

Relevance in Today’s India

In an era where protest culture, civic engagement, and youthful skepticism dominate public discourse, Depth and Diversity is a clarion call for introspection. “We are not seeking blind agreement,” Tuli states, “but an informed empathy, a deeper awareness that allows each individual to find their own truth.”

The exhibition — and the digital journey that follows — aims to replace hashtags with history, cynicism with curiosity, and apathy with action. Through this ambitious undertaking, TRIS offers not just an archive, but a new architecture for the Indian mind and heart to engage with its past and reimagine its future.

TRIS’s Depth and Diversity will be on display from April 26, 6 PM to May 5 at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

For more details and to access the archive, visit www.tuliresearchcentre.org