Visitor Guide
Welcome to Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston. EGMH is the first museum of its kind in the Americas dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi to preserve and promote his everlasting legacy of nonviolent conflict resolution by reinforcing the universal values of Truth, Nonviolence, Peace, Love and Service.
As one visitor recently commented, “Visit NASA to explore outer space, visit EGMH to explore inner space.”
Vision: The vision of the museum is a world where all conflicts are resolved nonviolently.
EGMH Mission:
- To create an educational organization highlighting the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Showcase various world leaders and their journeys depicting the power of peaceful resistance.
- Inspire visitors to settle conflicts nonviolently.
- Adopt “Be the Change you Wish to See” in your daily life.
Brief Introduction for Gandhi:
Mahatma Gandhi, born in 1869, was an Indian Activist and led India’s Independence from the British colonial rule through non-violent civil disobedience.
His life began as an ordinary individual with no talents, but he gradually became one of the most significant figures of modern times. He was Time magazine’s runner up for Person of the 20th century, 2nd only to Albert Einstein. And it was Einstein who once said: “Generations to come will scarcely believe that a one such as this ever walked the earth.”
As someone who strongly supported peaceful means of conflict resolution, Mahatma Gandhi is known as one of the greatest Apostles of Peace
Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, world leaders like Dr ML King, Nelson Mandela, were inspired to follow in his footsteps. They carried their struggles forward based on the philosophy of peace and nonviolence by adopting Gandhi’s methods like nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience.
Courtyard:
Our courtyard features a life size statue of Mahatma Gandhi, generously donated by the Government of Bharat, India. There are also portraits of various Nobel Peace Prize winners from around the world who used the concept of nonviolent conflict resolution to create profound social change.
Museum Exhibits Entrance:
Humanities Challenges – What is truth? What is violence?
As you enter the museum gallery, exhibits showing humanity’s challenge of tackling violence will greet the visitor. This is the violent world we live in today. Violence has been a problem that humankind has faced forever.
The graphics on the walls will expand visitors’ concept of violence and truth. Examples of Truth – honesty, love, compassion, selflessness, peace, and others. Examples of violence – inequality, oppression, poverty, pollution, bullying, lying and others.
Gandhi showed the world that — adopting Truth and Nonviolence was a more effective way to lead your life and fight against social injustices compared to adopting violence.
Museum Galleries:
The exhibit space designed by Solid Light Inc will take you through three distinct galleries:
Gallery One – His Journey: Gandhi’s Transformation
Transformation of Mahatma Gandhi from a child of fear to a man of freedom. In here you will find the following sections:
- Gandhi’s childhood
a. A unique interactive station allows visitors to learn about Gandhi’s formative years. Three objects significant to Gandhi’s youth stand before a sculpture of young Gandhi. When a visitor touches one of the objects, a video is activated, displaying on the screen behind the statue illustrating young Gandhi’s character and the values he learned. Object
i: – Honesty & Forgiveness
ii. Object – Truthfulness
iii. Object – Overcoming Fear - Higher studies in London to become a Barrister.
- Face to Face with Discrimination in South Africa – Learn about the “Train Moment” – the seminal moment in Gandhi’s life when he decided to take a stand, fight injustice and discrimination through nonviolent means. It eventually led to the birth of “satyagraha” defined as nonviolent civil disobedience, as a technique for fighting social and political injustice.
- 21 years in South Africa where he developed his political views and ethics.
a. At key moments in Gandhi’s life, from a young man to a global leader for peace and nonviolence, visitors step into the mind of Gandhi to understand the influences and decisions that allowed Mohandas to become Mahatma. Touch-enabled objects provide a visitor activation point to bring these stories to life.
i. Object 1 – Bhagavad Gita (book): Gandhi learns about Selflessness, Truthfulness, Nonviolence, Simplicity, Dedication
ii. Object 2 – Registration certificates: Gandhi learns about Self-Identity, Dignity
iii. Object 3 – Ambulance Corps armband: Gandhi learns about Service, Nonviolence - Ashram: Intentional Living.
Gandhi came to believe the key to India’s freedom from British rule lay in “intentional living,” by which a person chooses to lead a simple life of community and self-sufficiency. Beginning in 1904, he opened experimental ashrams—communities of like-minded individuals devoted to simple labor, teamwork, sharing resources, and sustainability. - Salt Satyagraha March – The Salt March was a simple act of defiance that set India on the path to independence. Gandhi successfully demonstrated to the world the effective use of civil disobedience as a technique for fighting social and political injustice.
a. Short video: Archival footage and images of the long journey of 240 miles (24 days, 50 thousand men, women, and children) to the Dandi seashore bring to life the momentous Salt Satyagraha March event. - Timeline — Explore Gandhi’s use of satyagraha in India and the events and people around the globe that provides context to his life and our shared history.
- His Social reform work to uplift the destitute known as untouchables or Dalits of Indian Society.
- India’s Freedom Struggle – “Quit India” movement. It was a mass protest movement launched by Gandhi on 9 August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in India.
- Charkha Wheel – Symbol of India’s self-sufficiency. Gandhi encouraged Indians to cast aside British goods and spin their own cloth using the charkha (spinning wheel) —a simple but powerful way to free themselves from economic dependence on Britain.
a. Touch-enabled objects provide a visitor activation point to bring Gandhi’s stories to life.
i. Object 1: Three Wise Men Monkey Figurines – Wisdom, Action
ii. Object 2: Charkha – Sustainability, Manual Work
iii. Object 3: Sandals – Simplicity - Help Eradicate the 7 Social Sins — Inspired by an Anglican priest’s sermon at Westminster Abbey in England, Gandhi published the “Seven Social Sins” in an October 1925.
- Embrace the 11 Vows: To help eliminate these “social sins” from the world, Gandhi promoted what he called the 11 Vows.
- Martyrdom: January 30, 1948, is recognized nationally as Martyrs’ Day in India, to mark the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Gandhi’s childhood
A Force More Powerful Theatre:
A Force More Powerful, Satyagraha,(nonviolent resistance or civil disobedience) overcame the greatest empire the world has known.
Having completed His Journey Section of the EGMH museum, the visitor can view a six-minute film in the A Force More Powerful Theatre. It is high tech, immersive theater that comes to life with projected media onto textile scrims and integrated khadi cords.
Gallery Two – Our Journey: Global Peace Leaders
Display of global peace leaders who have followed in Mahatma Gandhi’s footsteps to bring about profound social change around the world, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lech Walesa, Nelson Mandela, Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan, and others who used nonviolent conflict resolution for social justice. Check out the interactive kiosk in this gallery that provides further details on global peace leaders shown in this section.
Also be inspired to “be the change you wish to see in the world.” An action, small or large, taken by anyone causes ripples, as illustrated by the ripple wall. Just think if Gandhi had not taken a stand to fight discrimination when thrown off the train, how it could have impacted the course of history.
Wristband:
Please pick a wristband or bands to take with you. The wristbands highlight the universal values of Truth, Peace, Nonviolence, Love, and Service. Visitors should consider embracing these values in their lives to resolve conflicts through nonviolent means.
Gallery Three – My Journey: Reflection and Contemplation
After learning about Mahatma Gandhi and global peace leaders, this gallery provides the visitor with a place to reflect and contemplate. It invites the visitor to make a personal commitment to be a catalyst for positive changes in their own lives and community – i.e.- “What is something you can do, large or small, that can make an impact on your own life and environment?” How can you “Be the change you wish to see in the world?”
Personal Commitment Poster – Visitors are invited to make their personal commitment and create a customized Poster using the interactive kiosks. Every little action makes a difference in bringing about peace and harmony in the world. Please add your contribution. The Poster can be sent to you via email or text message.
The #Changemakers Wall – provides the visitor the opportunity to take pictures or a selfie.
Display of Gandhi’s Autobiography – My Experiments with Truth: It is available for purchase in the Gift shop.
As you leave the museum take a moment to reflect on the replicas of the last possessions. Mahatmas, Great souls, do not accumulate wealth to be remembered. Their deeds are such that they are remembered forever.
Gandhi’s life reminds us that there is potential in each of us to make a difference.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
No one knows where the next Gandhi will come from because the power for positive change through application of truth and nonviolence lives in each of us. We don’t have to adopt his lifestyle to follow in his footsteps. His legacy calls us to do our own part through actions large and small to create a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
Thank you very much for your visit. Please share your impressions on social media and encourage family and friends to visit the museum.
EGMH Board
www.egmh.org