1 week ago
National Gandhi Museum Seeks Preservation After Record Manuscript Auction
A group of writings and personal objects connected to Mahatma Gandhi was sold at an auction.
The sale included 86 items from the collection of Anand T Hingorani.
Gandhi’s 688 handwritten reflections were sold for Rs 16.20 crore.
This was described as a world record for an Indian historical document sold at auction.
The director of the National Gandhi Museum said he was very upset about the sale.
He believes these items belong to India’s shared history.
He asked owners not to sell such objects and instead give them to the museum.
The museum says it can protect the items and let people study them in the future.
Saffronart sold 86 Gandhi-related letters, manuscripts, photographs and personal artefacts on August 19.
A collection of 688 handwritten reflections, titled “A Thought for the Day,” fetched Rs 16.20 crore.
National Gandhi Museum director A Annamalai called the auction “deeply distressing and painful.”
Annamalai said Gandhi’s original writings and belongings are part of India’s shared heritage, not merely private possessions.
The buyer’s identity was not disclosed, but the auction house said the buyer was from India and the manuscript would remain there.
- Who
- The National Gandhi Museum, its director A Annamalai, and the auction’s unnamed buyer were central to the response; the items came from the collection of Anand T Hingorani.
- What
- Eighty-six Gandhi-related items were auctioned, prompting the museum to urge owners to preserve or donate similar materials rather than sell them.
- Where
- The items were sold through a Saffronart auction, while the National Gandhi Museum in Delhi offered to preserve comparable materials.
- When
- The auction took place on August 19; Annamalai issued his statement several days later, on a Saturday.
- Why
- Annamalai said Gandhi’s letters, manuscripts and personal belongings are part of India’s common heritage and should remain available for public study.
Public Heritage Preservation
Private Ownership and Auction
How the items should be handled
Public Heritage Preservation
The National Gandhi Museum says Gandhi’s letters, manuscripts and personal belongings are part of India’s common heritage and should be preserved for public access and study.
Private Ownership and Auction
The items were held by the Hingorani family across generations and were offered for sale through an international auction; the articles do not report a public response from the owners defending the sale.
Access to historical materials
Public Heritage Preservation
Annamalai urged owners to hand the materials to the National Gandhi Museum in Delhi so they could be safely preserved and made meaningful to future generations.
Private Ownership and Auction
The auction house said the unidentified buyer was from India and that the record manuscript would remain in the country, although the articles do not say whether it will be publicly accessible.
Key facts
- Auction date
- August 19
- Number of lots
- 86
- Record sale
- Rs 16.20 crore for 688 handwritten reflections titled “A Thought for the Day”
- Collection
- “Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani”
- Other major sale
- A set titled “Message on God” sold for Rs 1.68 crore
- Personal artefact
- Gandhi’s peti charkha with two letters sold for Rs 1.02 crore
- Buyer
- Identity undisclosed; Saffronart said the buyer was from India and the manuscript would stay in the country
Quotes
A Annamalai
Director of the National Gandhi Museum
“However, Gandhi's letters, manuscripts and personal belongings are not merely private possessions. They are part of the common heritage of India and belong to our shared history. They should be preserved in a manner that enables people from India and across the world to see, study and learn from them.”
m.rediff.com
telegraphindia.com
“A few days ago, some letters written by Mahatma Gandhi and a few articles used by him were put up for international auction. It has been reported that the auction fetched more than Rs 16 crore for the owner. This is deeply distressing and painful news.”
m.rediff.com
telegraphindia.com
Auction house
The auction house that sold the Gandhi collection
“the buyer is from within India and the manuscript will stay in the country”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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