Travelling via Mumbai’s local train to reach home after a weary day always saps my energy. Last Friday was no different. As I trudged up the stairs of the railway bridge, barely registering my surroundings, a flash of silver caught my eye. Mahatma Gandhi stood in flesh, covered in shiny, silver paint with a sombre look, clutching his lathi and a QR Scan code.

Meet Mohan Kale, a 52-year-old street artiste, seeks financial aid for his physically-challenged mother. Armed with a used paint dabba (container) to collect cash and a printed QR scan code, Mr. Kale stands mostly still as travellers mill around him. Some throw cash in his dabba, few scan his QR code and most in typical Mumbai-fashion crowd around him to peek, take a photo and move on, unconcerned.

“I have been standing here at Chembur station for a month and a half now. My mother cannot walk and needs surgery. I need to collect ₹20,000 for the basic operation she needs,” says Mr. Kale, in a rare moment where he takes a break. Luck does not seems to have favoured him much as he is yet to pass the ₹10,000 limit.

“I am trying Chembur first as it is nearby. I will soon have to visit other stations if this doesn’t pick up,” says Mr. Kale as people still mill around, taking photos but seldom scanning his QR code.

Saturday was different. As I trudged up the railway bridge’s stairs, I saw Mr. Kale reluctantly picking up his dabba and leaving the station. “Mahatma Gandhi is not just Father of the Nation, he is an international leader. It is insulting to see him begging like this,” said a man sporting a red tilak (vermillion) and blue T-shirt bearing the legend ‘Har Har Mahadev’. A few men and women beside him nod in agreement as he continued, “You have collected enough for today. Please leave here on your own before the railway police catch you”. As Mr. Kale departs, in true Mumbai fashion, the crowd takes photos and disperses – not a voice in protest. 

“I have seen photos in newspapers of artists dressing up Gandhi and earning a good deal. That’s why I thought I too can try it,” says Mr. Kale, speaking to me outside Chembur station. He also wishes to save up something up for himself. “I am not getting any younger. But my mother’s need is more urgent,” he says ruefully as he catches a rickshaw home.

Marina’s ‘living’ Mahatma

Dressing up as the Mahatma is not unique to Mumbai, however it is a trend which has caught on this year across metro cities. In Delhi, a 70-year-old man, dressed up as a silver Gandhi has been sitting quietly at Connaught place with a collection box. He says his poor financial conditions forced him to seek aid as the Mahatma. Similarly, a video from Mumbai’s streets show a young boy dressed up as a silver Gandhi being fed bread by a girl as he complains of hunger.

Earlier this month, The Hindu caught up one such ‘painted’ Gandhi on the sandy shores of Chennai’s Marina beach. Nehemia Koche, 68, is Marina’s ‘living’ Gandhi, standing next the beach’s iconic Gandhi statue.  Like Mr. Kale, Nehemia also has a QR code attached to his trousers, keeping up with today’s digital transactions. Similarly, he seeks financial aid to save up for his 27-year-old daughter’s future and he too finds it difficult to attract donations from adults strolling through the beach. 

However, the similarities end here. The indifference and affront faced by Mr. Kale in Chembur is not what Nehemia faces in Marina. Speaking to The Hindu, Nehemia said, “Children love me and are usually excited to take pictures. Sometimes, they even want to touch me to see if I am real”. However, the adults were more sober he said, adding, “Some were interested in selfies. A few donate money”.  

While Marina’s Gandhi plans to stroll on the beach on August 15, Chembur’s Gandhi has been missing in action for the past three days. May be he did not want to ‘hurt’ citizens’ reverence for Gandhi or may be he has had better luck at some other railway station, his cry for help as Gandhi is echoed by many street artists across India.

Published - August 05, 2026 08:54 pm IST