The book celebrates Gandhiji’s life through art.
Mahatma, Illustrated, a book by noted artist and cartoonist Shankar Pamarthy, was released today at hyd.art 2025 – Hyderabad’s largest curated art showcase, held at EON Hyderabad by Navanaami, Narsing, Financial District.
Mahatma, Illustrated, is a compelling visual tribute to the life, values, and enduring legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Through powerful illustrations, the book traces Gandhi’s extraordinary journey and presents his philosophy in a form that is accessible and engaging for new generations. The collection features evocative pen-and-ink sketches, drawings, and illustrations depicting defining moments such as the Dandi March, while also exploring themes central to Gandhi’s life, hope, humour, pain, happiness, and peace.
Shankar Pamarthy is renowned for his distinctive caricature and illustration style, blending realistic features with dream-like distortion and subtle humour to capture the very “soul” of his subjects. This body of work emerges from his long-standing admiration for the Mahatma and draws inspiration from a larger vision to create and exhibit 150 artworks of Gandhi in 2019, commemorating Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
Speaking about the book, the artist Shankar Pamarthy said, Mahatma, Illustrated is my humble tribute to the immense sacrifices made by Mahatma Gandhi in India’s struggle for Independence. Through the language of art, this work seeks to keep Gandhiji’s life, values, and philosophy alive, and to inspire the younger generation and generations to come. From a very young age, I had a deep interest in sketching, and drawing Gandhiji always fascinated me. My dream of becoming a cartoonist brought me to Hyderabad, where, alongside my regular series of cartoons, I began creating a special series dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. What drew me repeatedly to Gandhi was an observation I made as a child, during school Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations. He looked unlike other political leaders, frail in appearance, dressed in simple, frugal attire. I often wondered how such a man could stand up to the mighty British Empire and lead a nation to freedom. That curiosity stayed with me. Over the years, I began collecting books and memorabilia related to Gandhiji. During my international travels, I was often reminded of his global stature, many foreigners told me how privileged I was to be born in a country that gave the world Buddha and Gandhi. These experiences strengthened my resolve to continue portraying him through my art. On Gandhiji’s 150th birth anniversary, I curated an exhibition of 150 drawings on him at the Kalakriti Art Gallery. Many questioned the relevance of focusing on Gandhi, today. My belief, however, is firm, Gandhiji is more relevant today than ever before, and the world needs his ideals of truth, non-violence, and compassion now more than at any other time. This conviction drives me to continue my journey with Gandhi through art. I am truly delighted to release this book at hyd.art, the largest art exhibition in Hyderabad. I sincerely appreciate Annapurna, the curator, Hasan of hyd.art, and Venkat Naveen Gadde of the Navanaami Group for giving me this wonderful platform and opportunity.
The book was unveiled on the day two of hyd.art 2025 exhibition, in the presence of Annapurna Madipadiga, Show Director, hyd.art; Hasan, Founder, hyd.art; Venkat Naveen Gadde, Founder & Managing Director, Navanaami Projects Pvt. Ltd.; and Krishna Kanth Kotagiri, Director, Navanaami Projects Pvt. Ltd.
