Gandhi Auction to Proceed in NYC Despite Indian Court Order

Items which once belonged to Mahatma Gandhi—including his sandals, pocket watch, spectacles, an eating bowl, plate, and results of a blood test—will be auctioned off tomorrow in Manhattan through Antiquorum, a leading watch auctioneer. The memorabilia is owned by James Otis, an LA-based documentary filmmaker who has gradually amassed the possessions, many of which were given away to various individuals by Gandhi himself during the course of his life.

But according to Market Watch, Gandhi's descendants have been pressuring the Indian government to stop the auction, and a high court in India issued an interim stay on Tuesday, under the argument that the items "were of great heritage value and were considered to be legitimately owned by India."

But Julien Schaerer of Antiquorum tells City Room the auction will go on: "I believe they don’t have jurisdiction in the United States. It’s important to emphasize, they were rightfully acquired and already out of India." The entire collection has a reserve price of $20,000 to $30,000.

Otis says the Indian government did offer to buy the lot, but the price was too low; he tells the Economic Times, "I would be very happy to welcome any serious offers from the Indian government and it might not even have to be financial. There are things they could offer in terms of helping the people of India that I would more than welcome, for example improving health care for the poorest Indians in exchange for the items." Which is obviously a deal breaker for the Indian government!

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By John Del Signore in News on March 4, 2009 5:30 PM

Comments [rss]

nohateparade

the man had good taste but i really just want his blood test results.

tingo

Who's going to buy it all? I say Moby.

Clarice City

Ha! So true!

Clarice City

A Ghandi possesions auction? Isn't that a conflict of terms?

Snoopy

It's a very limited auction to say the least.

I worked on a museum proposal about twenty years ago regarding Ghandi and the personal artifacts consisted of a spinning wheel, a partially disintegrated pair of eyeglasses and one sandal. So this is a big stash of Ghandi stuff.

Quick question. Why would Ghandi need a watch?

Snoopy

That's about as tacky as Jackie Kennedy giving Aristotle O a watch that was engraved to JFK from his friends for their third anniversary (J O to A O anniversary.)

NannyState

What was that Elton John song? Oh yeah: "Like a sandal in the bin..."

Past Taliban

What kind of a greedy, filthy douchebag would SELL an item given to them as a GIFT by Mahatma Ghandi?

An AMERICAN douchebag ..that's who!

Roquentin

This entire spectacle is completely contrary to everything Ghandi stood for. A man who devoted his adult life to owning as few possessions and living as simple a life as possible is turning over in his grave. Shockingly foolish and ignorant.

MFer

Well, then fuck him. Ghandi? I piss on his grave. He is one of a long line of do-gooders who fucked up the world.

MFer

Gandhi, fucking Gandhi. Before I start pissing on someone's grave, I better learn to spell the name. And forget pissing. A quart of Woodford Reserve and steak tartare on his grave. Respect.

emmef

"Gandhi's ancestors have been pressuring the Indian government to stop the auction".

Whoa... Did they come back from the dead? I think you mean Gandhi's descendants.

chuzzlewit

i'm so on this - if i can't afford any of his jewelry i'm hoping to at least pick up his stereo or some fine threads.

Clarice City

Only the threads he wove, himself, of course.

ides_of_march

Just think of it as India outsourcing a few of its cultural artefacts.

Qraymond

"Which is obviously a deal breaker for the Indian government!"

What does that mean? And is he going to donate the proceeds from the auction to an Indian charity?