Aligarh, Oct 2 (IANS): Books and documents placed in etagere display cases and pedestals and rare framed images—some glossy, some matte—capturing Mahatma Gandhi's childhood, his life as an advocate and civil rights activist, his participation in the Indian freedom struggle and the activities at Sabaramati Ashram were on display in 'Exhibition of Books and Photographs on Mahatma Gandhi' of the Maulana Azad (MA) Library, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on October 2, Sunday, which marks the 153rd birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation.

The exhibition will be the first of the series of the events at AMU to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. It will conclude on October 3.

"Many handwritten letters by Mahatma Gandhi including the one written on July 20, 1937 to Lady Ummat-ul-Islam, the daughter of Colonel Mohammad Hameed Khan, Finance Minister of the princely state of Patiala, and another addressed to Abdul Bari, an AMU old boy, dated July 29, 1942 and the one written by the Mahatma to the General Secretary of AMU Student Union's on January 7, 1937 are the special highlight of the exhibition," said Prof Nishat Fatima (University Librarian).

She apprised: "The exhibition also features the 1939, 1940 and 1946 issues of 'Harijan' newspaper, which was started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1933 and continued to be published till 1948. Gandhiji himself was a regular contributor to this newspaper."

"More than 600 books and documents including 350 English books, 150 in Hindi and 100 in the Urdu, Persian and Arabic languages on Mahatma Gandhi will be showcased in the exhibition that will also have books authored by Gandhiji and their translations and his collected works in 100 volumes. These books and documents cover various aspects of Mahatma Gandhi's life," added the University Librarian.

Prof Nishat also informed that the MA Library has a collection of over a thousand books on Mahatma Gandhi including many rare books of national importance.

The exhibition will also have a special power-point presentation for the visitors on the life and services of Mahatma Gandhi.