On the Sunny Side of Things

A look into Adipur’s enduring love for Charlie Chaplin

NESTLED AMIDST THE SUNNY LANDSCAPES of Gandhidham, in Gujarat, lies the small town of Adipur—where an extraordinary celebration unfolds every 16 April. On the day, Adipur’s townsfolk come together in a spirited commemoration of the comic actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin, to celebrate his birthday. This unique tradition owes its origin to a now elderly but vibrant 73-year-old Ashok Aswani, an Ayurveda doctor, and his deep admiration for Chaplin—an affair that began in 1966, when he first watched The Gold Rush.

In 1993, on a Sunday afternoon, the photographer Kaveer Rai, a sevenyear-old boy then, had stumbled upon the Charlie Circle Foundation and the eccentric Aswani in a televised coverage by the Doordarshan channel. In Aswani’s clinic was a small wall shelf, dedicated to Hindu gods. Also placed on the shelf was a small statue of Chaplin. Rai was surprised to see this image on national television. The idea of a town in Gujarat celebrating the legacy of an actor born in England, and his statuette being placed on par with revered deities, seemed to Rai both impossible and fascinating. The image stayed with him.

Later, after completing his master’s degree in Computer Applications in Manipal, in Karnataka, and facing a challenging job market during the Great Recession, Rai ventured into graphic design and advertising. Over time, he felt stuck in what he thought was no different from a desk job. With a passion for photography always lingering in the background, Rai went and earned himself a degree in documentary photography. His curiosity led him back to Aswani and the foundation. Driven by nostalgia and a desire to explore and document the captivating celebration, Rai embarked on a journey to Adipur.