Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya

Mani Bhavan is a modest house on Laburnum Road in the leafy Gamdevi area, and between 1917 and 1934 it was Mahatma Gandhi's base whenever he was in Mumbai. The house belonged to his friend Revashankar Jagjeevan Jhaveri, and it was from here that Gandhi led some of the key campaigns of the independence movement, including the Non-Cooperation, Satyagraha, Swadeshi and Khadi movements. His association with the spinning wheel, or charkha, also began here in 1917. Since 1955 the house has been looked after by the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi as a memorial and museum.

The visit follows the house from bottom to top. The ground floor holds a library, with a statue of Gandhi where many visitors pause to pay their respects. A staircase lined with pictures of his life leads to the first floor, where a photo gallery and press clippings trace his career. On the second floor you can look into the room he used, kept simply with two of his spinning wheels and his bed on the floor, and a hall of photographs and paintings from his lifetime. The terrace is where he was arrested on 4 January 1932.

Mani Bhavan is small and quiet, and that is part of its appeal. It suits anyone interested in Indian history, and older children who have learnt about Gandhi at school usually find it meaningful. Allow around an hour to read the displays properly. It is a place of remembrance, so keep voices down, and be aware that the upper floors of a house of this age are reached by stairs, which limits access for people with mobility difficulties.

Check the opening hours on the museum's official website before you go. Mornings are generally the calmest time, and the library on the ground floor is worth a few minutes in its own right if you want to sit with a book on Gandhi's life and writings.

Gamdevi lies between Malabar Hill and Grant Road, a residential area of older apartment blocks a short taxi ride from Girgaum Chowpatty and the northern end of Marine Drive. A visit pairs naturally with a walk along Marine Drive in the late afternoon, or with the Banganga Tank and the Walkeshwar area on Malabar Hill.