Gandhiji!

October second marked the anniversary of Gandhi’s birthday. It also marked the first day that Alexander and I picked up our camera and started filming. Jay came to get us at 5:30am to attend the rally that his political party was supporting. Like the thousands of parade participants we would soon film, he wore white khadi.

Khadi is handspun, hand-woven cloth made from threads of cotton or silk. In the 1920s, Gandhi started promoting the spinning of khadi as a way to boycott the British and foreign made fabrics that had flooded the market. Khadi thus became a symbol for India’s struggle for independence and self-sufficiency.

After parking the car, Jay ran to join his political party. Hundreds of young men were waiting, green and red National Congress Party scarves around their necks. Soon after they were joined by a group of older men and senior politicians. One of Jay’s unofficial assistants helped direct Alexander and I to the action as the crowd began to surge. The men chanted as the walked “Gandhiji! Gandhiji! Gandhiji! NCP (National Congress Party)! NCP! NCP!”

In the early morning hours a transportable float festooned with garlands of flowers had been placed in one of the city’s busiest intersections. Now the men walked towards the red contraption and ascended the steps to a raised platform. They blessed a figure of Gandhi at the top. Later, the ruling party (BJP) would ascend the same steps and wash the figure in milk and water. The members of the BJP were the only people allowed to have this honor; anyone who attempted to do the same would be arrested.

Alexander filmed while I steadied his body, pointed to interesting shots, and navigated us both through the steady stream of traffic. Buses and rickshaws barreled down the streets in both directions as we nervously perched ourselves on the median. After Jay and his congregation had descended, we followed them to watch a parade. A constant stream of men dressed in white extended as far as the eye could see in two directions. Many carried large Indian flags that rippled in the morning breeze. Towards the end of the parade we saw a thin Gandhi look-a-like dressed up for the part. Using the support of a wooden stick, he walked with large strides, raising his hand as if to politely refuse the cheers that greeted him. It was a beautiful scene, both in person and on camera.

Throughout the day people responded well to the camera. Everyone we interviewed was excited to have his opinion heard. When Jay introduced us to a large group of friends, they whipped out camera phones to record our voices and take our picture. Many insisted we show clips from our footage. It felt like a more equal exchange than it has in the past.