Gandhi’s belongings for sale

MAHATMA Gandhi’s personal belongings kept in Britain would be auctioned and are likely to fetch £500 000 (about R10 million), a media report said.

According to the report, there are 70 items including Gandhi’s khadi loincloths, letters he wrote while he was imprisoned and two pairs of sandals, a pair of sunglasses, an inkwell from his desk and a pair of spectacles.

The online sale, which will end on May 21, is being arranged by East Bristol Auctions in the UK which sold a pair of Gandhi’s spectacles for £260 000 in 2020.

The report said the collection included what was believed to be the last photograph taken of Gandhi while he was alive.

In the black and white picture, which was taken by his personal doctor in 1947 at Birla House in New Delhi, Gandhi is seen seated, possibly with a spinning wheel or similar wooden tool, wearing a hat and draped in a linen cloth.

Another highlight of the auction is Gandhi’s trademark loincloth. The cloth has his signature “Bapu” on it.

Another item for sale is a handmade sash which was probably given to Gandhi before commencing his famous Salt March in the 1930s. |