Gandhi's Mumbai home

Late Indira Gandhi's words about Mahatma Gandhi, "Morethan his words, his life was the message", came alive as we accompanied ShareenRobin along the precincts of this tiny, history-ridden two-storied structure onLaburnum Road. Nestling in the quiet by-lanes of Gamdevi, Mani Bhavanbrings the 'Mahatma'—Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi—that much closer to us. Thisfour-storey bungalow served as Gandhi's home from 1917 to 1934 and has sincebeen converted into a museum dedicated to the Father of the Nation, who led anation of 350 million to freedom with his non-violence movement.

Leaving his mark behind
When US President Barack Obama visited Mani Bhavan in2010, he described it as a "testament" to Gandhi's life and when you walk downthe narrow corridors of Mani Bhavan, you understand exactly what Obama wasreferring to. The stone and wood structure of Mani Bhavan echoes of unspokentales of the valiant struggles of a nation and irresistibly remind us of thehumble life lived by Bapu. The ground floor houses a library that provides abroad view of Bapu's philosophy—it has over 50,000 books, along with originalletters shared between Gandhi with Leo Tolstoy, Adolf Hitler and FranklinRoosevelt. Biographies of Mahatma Gandhi, books of his philosophy, life andstruggle grace the shelves along with a prized collection of books that hadbeen read by Bapu himself.

The museum gives you a sneak-peek into Bapu's lifethrough photographs highlighting his birth at Porbandar and his early childhoodyears, his life in South Africa and fight for freedom to the day he wasassassinated. As you take the stairs leading to the first floor, you arewelcomed by a gigantic photo of Bapu with Indira Gandhi, when she was a young girl. An exhibition hall showcase rarepictures of Bapu at the second round table conference in London (1931), duringa Friends' Social Meeting (1932), along with a photo of him with CharlieChaplin.

From close quarters
On the ground floor is a section dedicated to postagestamps and currency from Brazil, Bhutan, Chile, Dominica Cyprus, West Indies,Yemen, Ireland, Malta and Mauritius featuring Bapu. On the first floor is anauditorium where films on Gandhi are shown and recordings of his speeches areplayed on request.

A venerable historic point from where remarkablefreedom movements like Non-Cooperation, Swadeshi, Satyagraha, Khadi andKhilafat were initiated by the Father of the Nation, Mani Bhavan is a quietmemorial today. One of the highlights of the museum is the mini figures createdby Susheela Gokhale Patel. These showcase significant moments in Gandhi's life,including the time he met the king in London (1931) and the evening he spent atRomain Rolland's home in 1931, where, on Gandhi's request, Rolland had playedBeethoven's fifth symphony.

Gandhi lives on
The room on the second floor in which he used to staywhile at Mani Bhavan and which served as Bapu's workspace has been preserved inits original trappings. His spinning wheel, the mattress on which he used tosit, his writing table, a hand fan and his wooden slippers too bear testimonyto the simple life he led. Many critics claim Gandhi's legacy does not holdwater anymore and as you step out of Mani Bhavan, back into the chaos, you dowonder if Bapu's principles still find merit and relevance in a world cloudedby greed, corruption and materialism. Over 60 years since India becameindependent, has his philosophy lost ground in a country which was onceenamoured by it?

Timing: 9.30am-6pm
Address: 19, Laburnum Road, Gamdevianita.