After independence, Gandhian activists like Kamladevi Chattopadhyay and Pupul Jaykar encouraged young Indian artists to engage with marginalized communities through the Handloom and Handicraft Board. Deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals, Haku Shah, an urban painter in the modernist expressionist mode, has dedicated his career to documenting and highlighting the work of folk and tribal craftsmen, demanding respect for their art. 

The catalogue of Haku Shah’s works, published after this exhibition held at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad in 2014 on Gandhi Jayanti, offers a comprehensive look into Shah’s artistic journey and his deep connection with Gandhian philosophy. These works feature vibrant paintings filled with deep spiritual emotion, capturing the essence of Gandhian symbols with bold colours and fluid lines. They vividly depict various episodes from Gandhi’s life, using impasto techniques that capture the earthy immediacy of the folk and tribal art Shah has long celebrated. Published by the Centre for Media and Alternative Communication (CMAC) and available through prominent galleries such as Archer Art Gallery, ART INDUS, TIME & SPACE, and CYMROZA ART GALLERY, the catalogue encapsulates Shah’s meditative personal practice and his lifelong commitment to honoring the dignity and grace of Gandhi’s (human) endeavor.

Designed by Parthiv Shah, director of CMAC, the catalogue also includes titbits of Haku Shah’s sketches, drawings, and collages interspersed among the pages detailing his paintings, adding an intimate glimpse into his creative process. It features insightful essays and reflections on Shah’s work and Gandhi’s influence by S. Kalidas, Tridip Suhrud, Rebecca Brown, and Amrit Gangar, with sections titled “Gandhi in the Time of Post-Industrial Nightmare,” “Gandhi as Namasmaran,” “Haku Shah: The Handcrafted Art of the Curator,” and “Mati, Manush and the Mahatma.”