Mahatma Gandhi’s Handwritten Notes on Life Sell for $1.69m at Indian Auction
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Mahatma Gandhi’s Handwritten Notes on Life Sell for $1.69m at Indian Auction
A rare collection of handwritten notes by Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has been sold for $1.69 million (£1.3 million) at an auction in Mumbai city.
The notes, owned and preserved by the family of close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani, include 688 of Gandhi’s handwritten messages on truth, non-violence, and self-restraint written between 1944 and 1946.
Auction house Saffronart said the sale set a record for the highest price paid for an Indian historical document at an auction.
Gandhi led India’s non-violent struggle against British rule and is affectionately known as the father of the nation. However, these notes offer a more intimate glimpse into the life of the political leader.
The collection was the highlight of Saffronart’s "86-lot" auction, titled Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani. The lot also included letters, manuscripts, photographs, and personal objects preserved by the Hingorani family over generations.
Spanning more than two decades, the items document key moments in India’s independence movement as well as Gandhi’s friendship with Hingorani.
"These reflections offer a rare insight into how Gandhi lived the principles he advocated publicly," said Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart.
Other notable items in the auction included Gandhi’s notes on God and the Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita, his portable spinning wheel, and two letters about the spiritual discipline of spinning.
Saffronart has not disclosed the buyer’s identity but stated that the notes would remain in India.
