Rare, unseen pictures from Indira Gandhi's life at new show

Indira Gandhi's original wedding card, a moving letter by Mahatama Gandhi written to her after her mother passed away, are among the rare photographs related to the former Prime Minister that will be showcased at an upcoming exhibition celebrating her hundredth anniversary.
Titled, "Indira: A Life of Courage", the show will feature three hundred rare and unseen images from the archives of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, along with her personal collection of favourite attires.
Divided into five segments, the show will cover different aspects of her life -- from her early days in Shantiniketan to her final day as the Prime Minister of India.

After her schooling, Indira went to Vishwa Bharati University in Shantiniketan under the tutelage of Rabindranath Tagore, and her time there have contributed significantly to the collection.
"The pictures that we have displayed from her time in Shantiniketan show her admiration for Tagore and the school," Pramod Kumar KG, the curator of the show said.
While in one of the group photographs Indira is seen posing with Tagore, in another she is seen performing during a dance event.

The show will also include a short video clipping of her marriage ceremony with Feroze Gandhi at her home -- Anand Bhawan in Allahabad, and a picture clicked just before she dedicated the house to the nation.

"When we decided to digitise the pictures, we were surprised to see the scale at which the objects and materials related to her life were present," KG said.
Photographs of her family, including those of her grand children Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, will also be part of the show.
Another photograph, accessed from Rangoon Studios, features the marriage ceremony of her elder son Sanjay Gandhi with Maneka Gandhi in 1974.
"This collection has come from many sources including the government, private sources, and photographers," he said.
While the major part of the exhibition will be held in the sprawling lawns of Indira Gandhi Memorial, a part of the show, to be held indoors, will feature apparels she wore during some of the important historical events.

The printed saree Indira from her last visit to Odisha, the saree she was seen in at a meeting with former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto during the signing of the Shimla Pact and her favourite Mizo dress that she used to don on weekends, will all be available for public viewing during the exhibition.
"She was particularly known for taking on the attires and costumes of the local regions she went to," KG said.
The exhibition which will open to public on November 19, was inaugurated today in the presence of political figures like former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit among others.

"It will make the new generation who has just known about Indira Gandhi but haven't physically seen her, learn more about her.
The show is a dedication to life and courage of Indira Gandhi, through pictures and her personal collections. She was one of India's most outstanding leaders," Dikshit said.