Mahatma Gandhi’s 688 handwritten reflections fetch record Rs 16.20 crore at auction

A collection of 688 handwritten reflections by Mahatma Gandhi has sold for Rs 16.20 crore at a Saffronart auction, setting a world record for an Indian historical document sold at auction.

The writings, addressed to Gandhi’s close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani, cover subjects including truth, ahimsa and service. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, but the auction house said, “the buyer is from within India and the manuscript will stay in the country”.

Two years of personal messages

The daily handwritten messages were written over two years following the death of Hingorani’s wife, Vidya. They contained guidance, reflection and encouragement and were later compiled into a book titled A Thought for the Day.

The manuscript offers a personal glimpse into Gandhi’s thoughts on truth, ahimsa, brahmacharya, non-possession, fearlessness, religious equality and the removal of untouchability.

It also touches on prayer, service, labour, Swaraj, moral responsibility, silence, conscience, non-attachment, self-realisation and the search for God.

Saffronart auction featured 86 lots

The auction, titled Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani, featured 86 lots comprising letters, manuscripts, photographs and personal objects connected with Gandhi.

The collection was preserved by the Hingorani family across generations and covered more than two decades of correspondence and personal exchanges between the two men.

Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart, said the collection offered an opportunity to view Gandhi through the lens of a close personal relationship.

“It has been a privilege to bring the Anand T Hingorani Collection to auction and share a remarkable record of Gandhi’s life and thought. What makes this collection particularly compelling is the opportunity to see one of the most significant figures in India’s history through the lens of a close, personal relationship.

“The exceptional response to Lot 80 - a series of reflections written by Gandhi for Hingorani-reinforces its rarity and historical significance. Together, 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.

Other Gandhi memorabilia also sold

Other items from the collection also attracted significant bids. Message on God, comprising three manuscript and correspondence items concerning Gandhi’s reflections on God and the Bhagavad Gita, sold for Rs 1.68 crore.

His ‘peti charkha’, or box spinning wheel, accompanied by two letters on the spiritual discipline of spinning, fetched Rs 1.02 crore against an estimate of Rs 50-70 lakh.

A signed presentation photograph of Gandhi writing sold for Rs 78 lakh, while letters, telegrams and postcards relating to economic independence fetched Rs 57.60 lakh.