Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
Photograph © Cop Shiva
India is a land of demigods. Scores of people worship their superheroes, emulate them, and even dress and behave like them. They earnestly believe self-actualization arrives quicker by identifying as closely as possible with their heroes. This photography project follows a villager whose mission, he says, is to keep Gandhism alive in a rapidly transforming India. It is a part of a larger body of work on diehard fans, those people who adopt everything about their demigod from their attire to mannerisms.
During the Indian struggle of independence, Gandhi became a messiah to millions of villagers and illiterate peasants as his simple principles of truth and nonviolence appeared sacred and powerful to all. India today is a different story though. An aspiration for living high is the majority religion; agriculture is turning into history; villagers are migrating en masse to stifling cities in search of a better tomorrow; rural India is almost fictional. Here, who remembers Gandhi but a few old folks sporting Gandhi caps, opportunistic politicians trying to score points or schoolchildren forced to learn about the father of the nation? When I found someone, who fit neither of these categories, I decided to let my camera follow him.
Bagadehalli Basavaraj, 46 years old, is from Bagadehalli village in Kadur, Chikmagalur district, Karnataka – one of the two places in India where a temple for Gandhi still stands. Basavaraj has been working as a teacher with various local schools for 29 years. He was drawn to Gandhi's principles early on in life. He belonged to an extremely poor family, and was struggling to educate himself, when another family helped him. This spirit of giving led Basavaraj to Gandhi, and simplicity as a way of life. Rather than vociferous campaigns to advocate Gandhism, he took to a visually stunning act that for the last 14 years has attracted more than just curious stares.
Once in a while, Basavaraj douses himself in silver paint, dresses in Gandhi gear - bare-chested and dhoti-clad, round-rimmed spectacles on the nose and a walking stick in hand - and walks the streets of villages and nearby cities. He sometimes stands still as a statue for hours on end. His Gandhi act never ceases to surprise. Some dismiss him as insane, some throw money at him assuming that he was an innovative beggar, and many quiz him. To them, he talks about Gandhi and his teachings. Basavaraj simply wants people to remember Gandhi, he tells me.
Basavaraj's act touches upon the social relevance of Gandhi's principles, besides its obvious visual element, and that, I find fascinating.
20 November
