A rare collection of handwritten notes by Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India’s independence movement, sold for $1.69 million (£1.24 million) at an auction in Mumbai, India, Reuters reported.
The notes, owned and preserved by the family of Anand T. Hingorani, a close associate of Gandhi and an Indian independence activist, include 688 handwritten messages by Gandhi on truth, nonviolence and self-restraint, written between 1944 and 1946. Auction house Saffronart said the sale set a record for the highest price paid at auction for an Indian historical document.
Gandhi led India’s nonviolent struggle against British rule and is affectionately known as the father of the nation. The notes, however, offer a more personal glimpse of the man behind the political leader. Gandhi wrote to Hingorani for about two years after the death of his wife, Vidya, offering guidance, comfort and encouragement. The messages were later collected in a book titled "A Thought for the Day."
Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart, said the collection allowed people to see Gandhi "through the lens of a close, personal relationship."
Mahatma Gandhi manuscripts and personal items sold at auction in Mumbai
(Photo: Saffronart)
The notes were the centerpiece of a Saffronart sale featuring 86 items titled "Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T. Hingorani." The collection also included letters, manuscripts, photographs and personal objects preserved by the Hingorani family for generations.
Spanning more than two decades, the collection documents key moments in India’s struggle for independence as well as the friendship between Gandhi and Hingorani.
"These reflections offer a rare insight into how Gandhi lived the principles he advocated publicly, making this an especially valuable record of his thought and practice," Vazirani said in a statement.
Other items in the sale included Gandhi’s notes on God and the Hindu holy text Bhagavad Gita, his portable spinning wheel and two letters dealing with the spiritual discipline of spinning.
Saffronart did not disclose the buyer’s identity but said the notes would remain in India.