- Art Exhibition Marks 150 Years of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and 75 Years of Navajivan Trust’s Landmark Building on Ashram Road
- To be inaugurated by eminent Artist Amit Ambalal, the showcase bridges Gandhi’s ideals, Patel’s leadership, and contemporary creative voices
- The exhibition will be open to the public from October 31 to December 15, 2025, between noon and 9 pm at the Navajivan Trust campus, Ahmedabad
GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
AHMEDABAD, OCT 29
When art meets history, the result is reflection — and Resonance: Sardar • Navajivan • The Artist’s Eye embodies exactly that. Opening on October 31, 2025, at the historic Navajivan Trust campus on Ashram Road, Ahmedabad, the exhibition marks two remarkable milestones — the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and 75 years of the Navajivan Trust building, inaugurated by Patel himself on October 31, 1950.
The exhibition will be inaugurated by celebrated artist Amit Ambalal, whose deep engagement with Ahmedabad’s cultural evolution and painterly reflections on everyday life lend special resonance to the occasion. Known for infusing humour, humanity, and heritage into his art, Ambalal’s presence bridges generations of creative expression — from Gandhian simplicity to modern introspection.
Echoes of Sardar and the Spirit of Navajivan
Founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1919 with the publication of the Gujarati journal Navajivan, the Trust grew into a beacon of truth and reform through the power of print. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who joined as the Trust’s first Chairperson in 1929, guided it through transformative decades until his passing in 1950.
The show reflects on how Navajivan has remained not just a publishing house, but a moral and cultural compass for more than a century — a living chronicle of India’s freedom, social reform, and intellectual pursuit.
Through meticulously researched themes such as “Sardar Patel and Navajivan,” “Sardar Patel and Ahmedabad,” and “The Power of Print and Place,” participating artists interpret these intertwined legacies in distinctive visual languages.
Contemporary Art Meets Historical Continuum
Curated as a dialogue between archival memory and artistic imagination, the exhibition features the works of 15 artists, including Avani Varia, Bharvi Trivedi, Dipti Shukla, Gopal Parmar, Jayesh Shukla, Jigna Gaudana, Bansidhar Khatri, Mahendra Mistry, Milan Desai, Nilesh Suthar, Rakesh Patel, Roma Patel, Ronak Sopariwala, Samvedana Vaissya, and Sumedh Kumar Kishan.
Their creations — spanning painting, installation, print, and mixed media — reinterpret Sardar Patel’s ideals of unity and Navajivan’s enduring dialogue between truth, knowledge, and creativity. Each work stands as a visual conversation between past purpose and present imagination, embodying the idea that freedom continues to evolve in thought and form.
A Living Tribute to India’s Builders
Resonance is not merely an exhibition but a living tribute to those who built independent India — a space where history breathes anew through artistic vision. It invites viewers to rediscover Sardar Patel’s pragmatic leadership and Navajivan’s timeless role as a custodian of conscience.
In Ambalal’s words at the preview, “Art finds its deepest meaning when it converses with time — and in Navajivan, time itself is an artist.”
The exhibition will be open to the public from October 31 to December 15, 2025, between noon and 9 pm at the Navajivan Trust campus, Ahmedabad — a fitting confluence of heritage, humanity, and the arts.
