Mahatma Gandhi’s Contribution Highlighted
An exhibition – Beyond the Frame: India in Britain, 1858-1950 – was launched at the British Library, Ahmedabad on December 11. The exhibition will be on display till December 21. National Archives of India and ministry of UK have launched the exhibition to celebrate the cultural impact of Indians on Britain. In an extensive tour, the exhibition was first launched in Delhi on November 25 which has now travelled to the city.
To give this exhibition a wider audience, the British Library has also launched a website and multimedia timeline to bring the history of the Indian presence in Britain. This ground-breaking exhibition is part of a larger project, Beyond the Frame: Indian British Connections, which takes a new look at the little-known history of Indian’s presence in Britain, informed Arnab Dutta, assistant manager of the library.
Hundreds of fascinating lives are celebrated in the Beyond the Frame project. Dadabhai Naoroji- elected Liberal MP in North London in 1892 and the first Indian to be elected to parliament in Britain, Sophia Duleep Singh -Indian princess and Suffragette who marched alongside Emmeline Pankhurst to parliament in 1910, and was a major campaigner for women’s rights, Mulk Raj Anand – renowned novelist, was Indian programmes writer for the Indian section of the BBC’s Eastern Service in the 1940s, where he worked closely with George Orwell are part of them.
Abdul Karim – servant and teacher of Hindustani to Queen Victoria. Victoria was said to be closer to Karim than she had been to John Brown. Gandhi – his trip to Britain in 1931 captured the public imagination and he was mobbed by enthusiastic crowds, particularly in the East End of London and by mill workers in Lancashire. He also met actor Charlie Chaplin during the trip.
The current exhibition and activities continue to be supported by the AHRC, The Open University and the British Library with new partners, the British Council India, the World Collections Programme and the National Archives of India, informed Huta Raval, assistant librarian.
The exhibition uses reproductions of contemporary accounts, posters, pamphlets, diaries, newspapers, political reports and illustrations, to build up a clear picture of the diverse and rich contributions Indians have made to British life.
