Govt procures Gandhi memorabilia through Mallya

Business tycoon Vijaya Mallya won the controversial bids of Mahatma Gandhi’s five personal belongings, including the iconic steel-rimmed round glass and zenith watch, for a whopping $1.8-million (Rs.9.3-crore) as against the reserve price of $10,000 according to reports.

However, the Government of India in a statement said that it went into the auction through the service of Vijaya Mallya and procured the memorabilia, as it could not bid directly because of a stay order of the Delhi High Court.

Mallya’s representative was in constant touch with us. He bought the items in conjunction with the government. We were working on several options to get the items back. This is a victory for the UPA government, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said and added that there might by slight delay in brining back those items back in the country.

Mallaya had earlier brought back the ‘sword of Tipu Sultan’ in India four years ago from a London based auction house through winning the bid by massive Rs.4-crore.

As against the order of American Justice Department following a Delhi Court order to stay the auction, the New York based auction house ‘Antiquorum Auctioneers’ had begun the auctioning process before the scheduled time despite India’s huge protest.

James Otis, a US citizen and owner of Gandhi’s items had also tried to halt the process at the last moment due to the mounting pressure, but till then the auctioning had begun.

The bidding began to set price of $10,000, but within two minutes, it caught a rapid speed and reached to over 1-million dollar. Toni bedi, who participated in the bidding on the behalf of Vijaya Mallya had won the auction by bidding $1.8-million surpassing the second highest bid of $1.75-million submitted online from Britain, according to the auction house.

Vijaya Mallya in a television interview had expressed the joy for winning the auction as he said that he was bidding for India and all the winning items would be returned to Indian government.

‘I am sure all Indians will be pleased that these Gandhi items will be coming home,’ told a pleasing Toni Bedi to media after the conclusion of the auction.

However, the gandhians, the fast follower of Gandhiji are not happy over all these acts as they cite that it is not so important to spent money on those items, which Gandhiji had changed many times, but it is more crucial to absorb the gandhian values instead.