Now Reading: Gandhi’s daily reflections sell for record Rs 16.20 crore
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Gandhi’s daily reflections sell for record Rs 16.20 crore
Mahatma Gandhi's 'A Thought for the Day' archive, a collection of 688 daily reflections written between 1944 and 1946, was sold for a record Rs 16.20 crore ($1.70 million) at Saffronart's online…
Mahatma Gandhi's 'A Thought for the Day' archive, a collection of 688 daily reflections written between 1944 and 1946, was sold for a record Rs 16.20 crore ($1.70 million) at Saffronart's online auction on August 18 and 19. The sale set a world record for an Indian historical document at auction.
The archive was preserved for over 80 years by the family of Anand T Hingorani, a young follower who joined Gandhi at the Dandi March in 1930 and later lived at Sabarmati Ashram. Gandhi wrote these reflections daily on embossed cards and later in a notebook, initially imposing a condition that they remain unpublished until he had truly lived up to the ideals expressed.
The auction, titled 'Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani', included 86 lots such as letters, signed books, photographs, and personal objects. Other notable items included Gandhi's peti charkha (portable spinning wheel) which sold for Rs 1.02 crore, and a signed photograph of Gandhi writing which sold for Rs 78 lakh.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Hingorani family's decision to sell the archive after 80 years marks a shift from private preservation to public access, though the buyer's identity remains unknown. The Rs 16.20 crore record price signals growing global demand for Gandhi memorabilia, following previous sales of his personal items. The collection's value lies not just in rarity but in the unique condition Gandhi set: that the reflections could only be published after he proved to live by them. This ethical test turns the archive into a biographical record of his self-discipline. Watch for whether the buyer permits public exhibition or keeps it private, as that will determine if the archive truly reaches a wider audience as the family intended.
Source: rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
