THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly 150 photographs, chronicling the life of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi were arranged on the display boards lined up inside the Museum Hall. The photographs were collected over many years by artist Dathan B S, who is also the vice-president of the Youth Congress in Vattiyoorkkavu region. The pictures in both black and white and colour, were only a part of the collection, the rest of which were kept aside due to lack of space. The exhibits belonged to his personal collection that he had sourced from numerous books and Internet. “I collected the photographs with the intention of displaying them on his death anniversary. As his 21st death anniversary is on May 21 this year, I decided to conduct the exhibition now,” Dathan says. The display had some interesting, rare and poignant moments in the life of Rajiv Gandhi frozen on frames. A majority of the pictures showcased his childhood days with mother Indira Gandhi, grandpa Jawaharlal Nehru and brother Sanjay Gandhi. It moved on to his student years and marriage. In some, he was also seen with his children Rahul and Priyanka. His entry into politics and major happenings in his political life came next and there were also pictures of his last moments. A majority of the photographs had descriptions underneath mentioning the event and date of occurrence. Dathan, along with his friends, had done some research to find information regarding some pictures of which details were not available. The artist said he cherished his childhood experience when he got to see Sonia and Rajiv when they visited the city during the Onam celebrations in 1987. He was all of 11 years when he watched Rajiv and his wife move along the road in an open jeep then. Though Dathan was not able to click the pictures of the couple then, the frame is frozen in his mind, he said. In the year 2000, he got a chance to visit the Teen Murti Bhavan and the house of Indira Gandhi in Delhi as part of a visit to Delhi organised by the Centre for Gandhian Studies. “If we conduct the exhibition at any of the party offices, the public would only take it as a customary gesture by a politician. On the other hand, this auditorium is open to all and the exhibition will be accessible to more people,” he says. The one-day exhibition titled ‘Rajeeva Smrithidalangal’ concluded on Monday.
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