The items, along with letters in English by Gandhi to Raghavan, Sgt NER Poduwal in Rangoon, and letters by Gandhi in Gujarati and a prayer book in Gujarati are expected to fetch nearly 100,000 pounds in the auction conducted by auctioneer Mullock’s in Shropshire.
The highest guide price of 10,000 pounds to 15,000 pounds has been set by the auctioneer for three items in the collection: the pair of glasses, ‘charkha’ and a casket containing the soil and blades of grass from the spot where Gandhi was killed in New Delhi.The soil and blades of grass were collected by one P P Nambiar, who describes the samples in a provenance, and are placed in a small wooden casket containing a small glass topped box.
The description of the item says: “The casket comes with a letter of provenance by P P Nambiar dated September 24th, 1996 saying that the recipient has today received the most sacred of all relics a fraction of the pinch of soil I collected on Jan 30, 1948 from the spot where the Father of our nation M K Gandhi fell to the bullets of his assassin.”
Mullock’s says that the item is also accompanied by a copy of ‘True but never heard before’ by P P Nambiar, which is a personal account of collecting the soil sample on the day Gandhi was murdered. It quotes Nambiar’s words”in my search I found a drop of blood on the grass almost dried”.
“I cut the grass and also took two pinches of soil from the brink of the pothole which I wrapped in a piece of Hindi newspaper found nearby. This is in my box even today.
I keep it in a jewellery box brought by me from Indo-China in a later year. To me it is a treasure of immense sentimental value.”Gandhi’s glasses under auction were bought in London around 1890 when he studied Law. The item is described as “corroded with age”, and comes with the original felt bearing the name of H Cannam Optician, 23 St Aldate Street, Gloucester.
The ‘charkha’ is described as being in an ‘as used’ condition but still retaining its inner mechanism.
Mullock’s representative, Richard Westwood-Brookes, said: “This is a wonderful archive of material with excellent provenance. It comes from the close friend of one of Gandhi’s disciples and is of great importance to the Indian nation”.
He added: “The soil upon which Gandhi fell is of particular significance to the Indian nation and is like a holy relic. The letters from Gandhi and his spectacles are also greatly important and are as close as you can get to the man”.Weston-Brookes said the market for Indian items such as the Gandhi archives had picked up in recent years and there were an increasing number of collectors.
It is a great privilege to sell these objects that are rightly regarded as important pieces of Indian history”, he said.
Source- Bernama
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