Mahatma Gandhi, revered as the father (Bapu) of modern India, transformed the nation through his unwavering commitment to truth and non-violence. His peaceful revolution liberated India from British rule, inspiring the world with a non-violent response to oppression. Gandhi’s path demanded deep inner reflection and independent thinking, challenging laws, traditions, and societal norms in pursuit of truth. He urged everyone to embark on personal journeys of self-discovery, guided by inner truth rather than external authority. Gandhi’s leadership not only freed a nation but also offered humanity a timeless lesson in courage, compassion, and the power of peaceful resistance.

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In the painting:

The painting depicts Gandhi during the famous Salt (Dandi) March on 12 March 1930. It was a 387-kilometre journey to defy British-imposed Salt Laws by producing salt, symbolising self-rule (Swaraj), the right to self-production, and non-violent resistance (Satyagraha). This "battle of right against might" sparked the civil disobedience movement, leading to mass arrests and global recognition of India's struggle for independence.

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Gandhi is dressed in Khadi, a coarse, hand-woven cotton cloth that he spun and wore throughout his years of non-violent resistance against British rule in India. The cloth and the Charkha (spinning wheel) used to produce it became a powerful, tangible instrument for achieving self-rule (Swaraj) and embodied the Swadeshi movement for self-sufficiency.

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Gandhi believed that self-production and the revival of traditional handicrafts could meet both individual and village needs at a local level, eradicate rural poverty, limit British economic control, and inspire true independence from colonial rule. This philosophy was also reflected in Gandhi’s self-made leather sandals.

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A spinning wheel (Charkha), which Gandhi regularly used, shines like the sun over the painting:

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"Khadi is the sun of the village solar system.

The planets are the various industries which can support khadi in return for the heat and the sustenance they derive from it."

(Harijan, 16-11-1934)

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The people marching behind Gandhi wear "Gandhi caps" made of Khadi, symbolising their alignment with the independence movement, the boycott of British textiles, and Gandhi's ideals of simplicity and self-rule.

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Flanking Gandhi is a herd of cows portraying him as a shepherd—a figure associated with Krishna—and as a leader guiding the masses. Protecting the cow was of supreme importance to Gandhi, symbolising the protection of all that is helpless and weak in the world:

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"The cow is a poem of pity. One sees pity in the gentle animal. She is the mother to millions of Indians. Protecting the cow means protecting the entire silent creation of God. The ancient seer, whoever he was, began with the cow. The appeal of lower forms of creation is even more powerful because they are voiceless."

(Gandhi, Young India)

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The cows are painted in the Pichwai style but bear a palm with a dharma wheel, representing the Jain symbol of non-violence (Ahimsa) on their bodies, which was Gandhi's most important value and even dharma.

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On the upper side of the painting, peacocks represent Gandhi's devotion to the god Krishna. Raised in a Vaishnavite family, Gandhi held a deep reverence for both Lord Krishna and Lord Rama. He holds the Bhagavad Gita in his hand, a text he deeply revered in Hinduism, on which he published a complete commentary.

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