The 2nd of October marks the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth and the start of a life of struggle in the fight for Indian independence from British colonial rule. He’s one of the most instantly recognizable figures of the 20th century Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known to many as Mahatma Gandhi or Great Soul.
Mahatma Gandhi’s personal belongings are kept in Britain and are likely to fetch Rs 4.74 crore. The auction in the UK features Mahatma Gandhi’s hand-written letters, a pair of his sunglasses, and a pair of spectacles, along with other items. It’s an occasion being marked all over the world, particularly in India.
Here is a list of some of the items that have been up to go under the hammer:
Specimen of his blood and his will
The will was sold by an unidentified vendor from outside India. The specimen of his blood was sold by the Indian descendants of a family Gandhi stayed with near Mumbai while recovering from an illness in the year 1924.
Mahatma Gandhi’s spinning wheel
Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘charkha’ which he used in Yerwada Jail during the ‘Quit India Movement was auctioned in the year 2013 at auction in the UK for a whopping 110,000 pounds. The spinning wheel was used by Gandhi in Pune jail and was later gifted to American Free Methodist missionary Revd Floyd A. Puffer for his work in colonial India.
The soil he fell on after he was assassinated
A bottle containing some of the soil the Indian independence campaigner fell on after he was assassinated in the year 1948 went for 12,000 pounds. A bystander, P.P. Nambiar, had collected the dirt and some blades of grass after Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.
Gandhi’s sandals
A pair of sandals formerly owned by Mahatma Gandhi went under the hammer in Britain in the year 2013. Despite being in a bad state, Auction house Mullock’s said the battered leather shoes were expected to fetch up to 15,000 pounds but fetched 19,000 pounds. The sandals had come from Gandhi’s home in Juhu, where he lived between 1917 and 1934
Gandhi’s eyeglasses
Gandhi’s eyeglasses were auctioned in the year 2009 in Manhattan. The auction had created chaos in India. The round glasses were bought by Gandhi in the United Kingdom while he was studying law in the 1890s. The glasses were bought for 4,188,363 Rupees by Vijay Mallya.
His autographed letters
Two letters – one hand-written by Mahatma Gandhi and the other autographed by him were auctioned in the year 2014. The hand-written letter dated August 10, 1935, was addressed to Bhujangilal Chhaya, a young relative of Gandhi’s. The second letter was written by one of his assistants on October 5 1935 in Gujarati but signed by Gandhi. The letters were sold at the price of 11.5 lakh and 9 lakh respectively.
