Prof. Dr. Avinash Kolhe explores the iconic Haripura Panels by Nandalal Bose, currently exhibited at NGMA Mumbai, highlighting their connection to Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Swadeshi, nation-building, rural India, and cultural identity.

The Haripura Panels being exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, are a collection of rare and landmark posters created by the legendary painter Nandalal Bose [1882-1966] at the behest of none other than Mahatma Gandhi. The exhibition is rightly titled ‘Colours of Swades: From Haripura to the Constitution’. It is a known fact that Nandalal Babu painted some 400 panels, out of which 77 paintings are on display in this rare and not-to-be-missed exhibition.

Gandhiji came back to India on 9th January 1915 and, within the next five years, assumed the supreme leadership of Congress. This was a paradigm shift in Indian politics as Gandhiji demanded and fought for a complete overhaul of Indian society, which included, in addition to political freedom, socio-religious reforms, and reforms in agriculture and education.
Remember Nai Talim? Similarly, he wanted Hindi to become the national language. Not only this, but he also wanted a different approach to art and culture.

Come 1936, the Golden Jubilee session of Congress [established in 1885] was held at Faizpur, a village located in Jalgaon district of North Maharashtra. The idea was to acquaint young, urbane, sophisticated, Oxbridge-educated leaders of Congress like Nehru and Bose with the ground reality of rural India. Gandhiji appointed painter Pandhe Guruji to do the décor of this historical session. The idea succeeded beyond imagination.

Next, the session was held at Haripura village, Gujarat, in 1938. Incidentally, Subhash Chandra Bose was unanimously elected as the President of this session. This time Gandhiji commissioned Nandalal Bose.

Nandalal Bose and the Spirit of Swadeshi

Bose is widely known as a pioneer of Indian Modern Art. He was a student of Abanindranath Tagore. Nandalal Babu taught at Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan, and later became its principal. His position on art was that it should grow from its own soil and not by blindly imitating Western art. No wonder he drew from classical traditions, folk practices, and situations from everyday life. He shaped Indian modern art by drawing on Ajanta murals, folk traditions, temple structures, and, in the process, created a visual language deeply rooted in Indian culture yet strikingly modern. Bose's vision was in tune with Gandhiji's emphasis on Swadeshi. Nandalal Babu was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, our second-highest civilian honour.

From Haripura to the Constitution
It is interesting to note that the National Gallery of Modern Art [NGMA], Delhi, houses some 6,800 paintings of Nandalal Babu, who has made even the Indian Constitution a canvas. The 22 hand-drawn illustrations that adorn the pages of the first Indian Constitution manuscript were commissioned to Bose and his team.

For Haripura, Nandalal Bose moved around the village, made sketches, and then painted these iconic posters, now known as the ‘Haripura Panels’. He felt that the dignity of everyday rural life should be captured on canvas. He beautifully painted local village workers such as farmers, potters, weavers, and many more.

The essential idea was not only to paint aesthetically but also to be an active participant in nation-building through the depiction of village vitality. These panels carry forward the vision of Gandhiji's self-reliance and grassroots involvement. The exhibition is curated to show the direct connection between art, culture, and the process of nation-building.
Drop everything and reach the NGMA as the exhibition closes on 9th June 2026.