Freedom Struggles iconic image

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was the time when Gandhiji was spearheading the non-violence movement in the country, during the early 1930s. Nandalal Bose, a Bihari painter who was out from the Bengal School of Art, came up with a lino-cut image of Gandhiji which won much acclaim. He was the Director of Shantiniketan then.  It showed Gandhiji walking with another person, probably a staff at Sabarmati ashram, which soon became an iconic image of the freedom struggle.  One such lino-cut image of Bapu was unveiled at the Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday. However, this one has Gandhi alone in a walking posture. Udayan Poonkodu, who did the image, said that a similar mural image has been set up at Vattiyoorkavu Gandhi Griham. According to information sourced from  websites, lino-cut is a technique where a sheet of linoleum is used as relief surface and a design is cut into its surface with uncarved areas representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller and then impressed into a paper or fabric.  According to Udayan, this one was made with a clay mould prepared and then pressed into the relief surface. Certain parts are then carved out which gives it a mural effect. It is then painted in colours chosen by the artist. It took one-and-a-half week for Udayan to prepare the lino-cut image. The mural was unveiled by Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. In his inaugural speech, he said that Gandhiji has a historic profile and that Gandhian principles alone  can being an end to many problems faced by the society these days.  It is as part of the bi-monthly Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations being organised by the Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and also as part of the ongoing diamond jubilee celebrations of KGSN that the mural image was put up on the Gandhi Bhavan campus. While across the world, many people snatched headlines through violence and power, here was a man who tread the path of non-violence and won us independence, Thiruvanchoor said in his inaugural speech.  Gandhi Smarak Nidhi Chairman P Gopinathan  Nair, working chairman Dr N Radhakrishnan, secretary V Ramdas and other personalities also attended the function.