In India, a set of recently discovered photographs is drawing attention to the role of women in one of the country's biggest anti-colonial movements, known as the civil disobedience movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930-31. The images do not simply capture female participation. They are visual proof of how women commanded and dominated political activity, often relegating men to the sidelines.
In April 1930, Gandhi concluded his pivotal salt march, breaking the British monopoly on salt production - a charged symbol of colonial misrule. Raising a handful of muddy salt from the sea, he declared himself to be 'shaking the foundations of the British Empire'.
Afterwards, Gandhi presided over waves of civil disobedience protests, encouraging supporters of the Indian National Congress to manufacture contraband salt, boycott foreign goods, and face down phalanxes of lathi-wielding policemen. Just a few months before, the Congress had declared purna swaraj (complete independence) as its political objective for India.
Historians have long recognised the civil disobedience movement as an important turning point in Indian politics.
Women joined anti-colonial activities in greater numbers. When Gandhi began his salt march he forbade women from joining, but several female leaders eventually convinced him to accord them a greater role.
Congress leaders harnessed modern media technologies like radio, film, and photography, which helped their political struggle reach an international audience.
About 20 years ago, one album of photographs from the movement appeared at a London auction. Tipped off by an antiquarian dealer in Mumbai, the Alkazi Foundation, a Delhi-based art collection, acquired the album.
The album, small in size with a coal-gray cover, gave few clues about its provenance, scrawled on its spine were the words 'Collections of Photographs of Old Congress Party - K. L. Nursey.' No one knew the identity of KL Nursey.
Typewritten captions were brief and rife with spelling errors. The album remained undisturbed until its curator and two historians from Duke University began to reexamine it in 2019, shocked by the dramatic and detailed story it told.
These photographs capture the streets of Bombay, bristling with thousands of volunteers aligned with the Congress. Unlike earlier posed images, they show violent confrontations with police, wounded volunteers, and boisterous marches amidst monsoonal downpours. The electric energy is palpable in the black-and-white images.
Also, the album brings to light how women used the civil disobedience movement for their empowerment. As many female volunteers brought along their young daughters to instill in them the ideals of anticolonial politics, the Nursey album documents both recognizable leaders like Lilavati Munshi and countless unknown female volunteers as they challenged colonial authorities.
The movements and actions of women during this time, underscored every step of the way by powerful images, have been documented extensively with a renewed focus on visual representation. This collection is now back in public circulation as Ramaswamy and Bhatnagar released a book titled, Photographing Civil Disobedience, alongside two museum exhibits titled Disobedient Subjects.
As we commemorate these efforts, it’s clear that nearly a century later, the resolve and determination of these women remains a crucial chapter in India’s ongoing narrative of resilience and empowerment.
In April 1930, Gandhi concluded his pivotal salt march, breaking the British monopoly on salt production - a charged symbol of colonial misrule. Raising a handful of muddy salt from the sea, he declared himself to be 'shaking the foundations of the British Empire'.
Afterwards, Gandhi presided over waves of civil disobedience protests, encouraging supporters of the Indian National Congress to manufacture contraband salt, boycott foreign goods, and face down phalanxes of lathi-wielding policemen. Just a few months before, the Congress had declared purna swaraj (complete independence) as its political objective for India.
Historians have long recognised the civil disobedience movement as an important turning point in Indian politics.
Women joined anti-colonial activities in greater numbers. When Gandhi began his salt march he forbade women from joining, but several female leaders eventually convinced him to accord them a greater role.
Congress leaders harnessed modern media technologies like radio, film, and photography, which helped their political struggle reach an international audience.
About 20 years ago, one album of photographs from the movement appeared at a London auction. Tipped off by an antiquarian dealer in Mumbai, the Alkazi Foundation, a Delhi-based art collection, acquired the album.
The album, small in size with a coal-gray cover, gave few clues about its provenance, scrawled on its spine were the words 'Collections of Photographs of Old Congress Party - K. L. Nursey.' No one knew the identity of KL Nursey.
Typewritten captions were brief and rife with spelling errors. The album remained undisturbed until its curator and two historians from Duke University began to reexamine it in 2019, shocked by the dramatic and detailed story it told.
These photographs capture the streets of Bombay, bristling with thousands of volunteers aligned with the Congress. Unlike earlier posed images, they show violent confrontations with police, wounded volunteers, and boisterous marches amidst monsoonal downpours. The electric energy is palpable in the black-and-white images.
Also, the album brings to light how women used the civil disobedience movement for their empowerment. As many female volunteers brought along their young daughters to instill in them the ideals of anticolonial politics, the Nursey album documents both recognizable leaders like Lilavati Munshi and countless unknown female volunteers as they challenged colonial authorities.
The movements and actions of women during this time, underscored every step of the way by powerful images, have been documented extensively with a renewed focus on visual representation. This collection is now back in public circulation as Ramaswamy and Bhatnagar released a book titled, Photographing Civil Disobedience, alongside two museum exhibits titled Disobedient Subjects.
As we commemorate these efforts, it’s clear that nearly a century later, the resolve and determination of these women remains a crucial chapter in India’s ongoing narrative of resilience and empowerment.
