What it means to keep alive Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in India’s visual memory

An exhibit from the exhibition India’s Visual Political Iconicity on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (Credit: Tuli Research Centre for India Studies)

Tuli revealed why he chose Bose as their muse for this edition of the exhibition, “Bose naturally brought his own unique path to helping India gain her independence and it is critical to understand and appreciate it with an open mind.”

The exhibition moves between early portraits and political calendars, including the 1946 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose calendar produced by Vadilal Dyeing and Printing Works and the calendar titled ‘Message to Soldiers’ which featured Bose and Lakshmi ‘Bai’ (Dr Lakshmi Sahgal who led the Rani of Jhansi regiment) on horseback by Paul Picture Publishers. These objects were functional, meant to hang in homes and shops, quietly turning everyday timekeeping into political remembrance.

A striking black-and-white procession lithograph shows Bose re-elected as the INC President in 1939 at the constructed VishnuDutt Nagar venue to his establishment in Singapore of the Azad Hind Fauj (INA, 1942-43). Nearby is the iconic lithograph that depicts Mahatma Gandhi guiding other nationalist leaders during the Non-Cooperation Movement, in a scene that evokes the epic Mahabharata, with Bharat Mata on the Chariot and Jawaharlal Nehru carrying the flag, and Bose and Sahgal as the commanding generals.

An exhibit from the exhibition India’s Visual Political Iconicity on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (Credit: Tuli Research Centre for India Studies)

“The statue of Netaji, the Japanese Laughing Buddha, Children and cat with Bose, the Swaraj Mandir Postcard, the Revolutionaries Mandir, the photograph of Netaji with the three senior leaders of Azad Hind Fauj” were the rarest and most difficult to be found artefacts according to Tuli. The exhibits include his early portraits to the battle at Kohima 1944, followed by his martyrdom and to his big supporter the Japanese PM Heidiki Tojo, and to his critical relationships with Gandhiji & Pandit Nehru.

Tuli notes that sourcing the materials was not an act of last-minute curation but the outcome of over three decades of collecting. “These artworks and documents are part of a much larger knowledge-building project to give free access to students, teachers and the public of the finest visual and textual knowledge base for Contemporary India Studies,” he said.

Despite the age and fragility of many works, restoration has been kept minimal. “We avoid such processes unless it is critical. The key is to frame and protect and prevent further damage,” he said, noting that de-acidification and Nepali handmade paper backing are used only when necessary, particularly for vintage film material.