A digital interactive exhibition celebrating the life and achievements of Mahatma Gandhi will be shown in Victoria, the home of the largest number of people with Indian heritage in Australia.
Touring the Mahatma Gandhi Exhibition in Delhi, Premier Daniel Andrews announced the Victorian Government was supporting the Immigration Museum to show the unique exhibition – which will run from April to July 2018. The exhibition is curated from more than 1,000 archival photographs, 130 minutes of footage, 60 minutes of film clips and 20 voice recordings of Gandhi’s speeches.
“Mahatma Gandhi was an inspirational leader and I’m thrilled that Victorians will be able to enjoy this incredible exhibition at the Immigration Museum,” said the Premier. “Victoria is home to Australia’s largest Indian population and this exhibition is an important way to acknowledge their cultural heritage and build the cultural understanding of India among the wider Victorian community.”
“Showing the Mahatma Gandhi Exhibition in Victoria will help celebrate Indian culture in our state, and will bring visitors from interstate and overseas alike to our great city,” he added.
The Mahatma Gandhi Exhibition is currently on display at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi, where it was launched in October 2016 by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. It celebrates the success of the Indian diaspora internationally, recognising that Gandhi was a member of the diaspora who migrated from India to England and then to South Africa before returning to India.
The period of Gandhi’s life in which he migrated from India to England and then South Africa as well as the change he helped bring about in India on his return are featured, with his identity as a successful member of the Indian diaspora central to the exhibition.
The exhibition is one of many community and cultural events the Government is supporting to celebrate and generate awareness of the special bonds Victoria shares with India following the recent release of the new Victoria’s India Strategy: Our Shared Future.
Mahatma Gandhi: An Immigrant will be on display at Victoria’s Immigration Museum: 5 April – 15 July 2018. For more information, visit: www.museumsvictoria.com.au for details.
Image: Premier Daniel Andrews sits in front of a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi (supplied)