To Gandhi, WITH LOVE

We spoke to 82-year-old Kishore Jhunjhunwala, a Mumbai-based coin and memorabilia collector, whose passion for Mahatma Gandhi has spanned decades and resulted in a remarkable private collection.

- Text * Sonakshi Kurbah

His vast archive comprising coins, stamps, letters and countless other artefacts was recently showcased in an exhibition titled 'Me and My Gandhi Ji' at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, from 1–15 October 2025.

Curated from over 60,000 items, the exhibition was a heartfelt journey through a life devoted to the Mahatma. At the venue, Gandhi's presence was everywhere. His handwritten letters and sepia-toned photographs were placed beside stamps and coins, while footprints and sacred relics were placed alongside gramophone recordings that revived the timbre of a man who may have embodied simplicity but managed to stir nations.

For Kishore Jhunjhunwala, one of his most cherished memories is of retracing the Dandi March route in 2005. “To truly know and understand Gandhiji from within, I realised that one of his greatest works was the Dandi March,” he recalls. “When I was a child, I thought it was called the Dandi March because he carried a dandi (stick)! Later, I learnt that Dandi was actually a place and Gandhiji walked there for salt. I wondered, why such a long journey for salt worth two rupees? But when I walked that route myself, I understood. Every step brought me closer to him and his ideals of truth, simplicity, and nonviolence.”