MUMBAI, Oct. 2 -- Nearly a century ago, a young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi stood trembling in Sir Cowasji Jehangir Institute's main hall, struggling to have his voice carry across the packed audience. "My voice could reach only a few," he would later write in The Story of My Experiments with Truth, recalling how he faltered, yet pressed on. It was here, in this very space now housing the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) Mumbai, that Gandhi learned the humility, courage and practice that would one day shape him into the Mahatma. On Wednesday evening, that memory came full circle. In the same historic hall, NGMA unveiled Me and My Gandhi Ji - The Man, The Mahatma, The Memory, an exhibition that gathers the fragments of a life that became a legend. The show opened in the presence of Maharashtra minister of skill development and entrepreneurship Mangal Prabhat Lodha, actor Renuka Shahane, television producer Siddharth Kak, NGMA Mumbai director Nidhi Choudhari, and art collector Kishore Jhunjhunwala, whose painstakingly curated collection forms the heart of the exhibition. The consul generals of Bangladesh, Poland, Argentina and South Africa lent the gathering an international resonance befitting Gandhi's legacy. The exhibition is a showcase of a journey and not a mere display. Stamps and coins bearing Gandhi's likeness sit beside his letters and photographs; footprints and sacred relics rest alongside gramophone recordings that bring back the timbre of a man who preached simplicity while shaking up empires. Each object whispers a story - of salt marches, of spinning wheels, of prison cells where silence was turned into resolve. "Gandhi is often spoken of as a symbol, but here we encounter the person," said Nidhi Choudhari. "This exhibition allows us to see how the Mahatma lived, how he communicated and how he inspired. These artefacts help us bridge the distance between reverence and intimacy." Siddharth Kak, known for chronicling India's cultural heritage, agreed. "These objects remind us that Gandhi was not born a Mahatma but became one through choices, struggles and faith. They carry the texture of his humanity, which makes his ideals even more compelling today." Speaking at the inauguration, Lodha remarked that Gandhi's memory remains "not only a matter of history but of living guidance," while Renuka Shahane reflected on how "the Mahatma's ideals are needed more than ever in an age of polarisation". Bangladesh consul general Farhana Ahmed Chowdhury echoed Shahane pointing out: "Rising conflict and strife in the world underlines how humanity needs to go back to Gandhiji's teachings before it's too late." For Kishore Jhunjhunwala, who has spent decades collecting more than 60,000 artefacts linked to Gandhi, the exhibition is both personal and public. "For me, Gandhiji is not just a figure from history - he is a living presence, my guide, and a source of constant inspiration," he said. One of his most cherished memories is of retracing the Dandi March route in 2005. "At every step, I felt closer to the Mahatma - to his journey and to his ideals of truth, simplicity, and non-violence." This devotion runs through the exhibition's sections. Spiritual Legacy - Ashes & Palm Prints presents sacred relics as powerful symbols of continuity. The Coined Era and Philatelic Footprints trace how Gandhi's likeness became currency and communication across borders. In Gandhiji's Written Legacy and Sound of the Spirit, his letters and voice recordings allow visitors into his convictions. Media portrayals, visual narratives, commemorative medals and sculptures together weave a portrait not of marble grandeur but of a man whose ordinariness was his power. As Choudhari remarked, the show is not just about history but about the present - about how a pressed letter, a fragile newspaper clipping, or the grooves of a gramophone record, when seen together, become a portrait of a nation in the making. "They show us moments of struggle, sensitivity and deep belief," she said....