A Madhubani painting that details the trials and tribulations of people, a pencil whose lead is in the shape of Mahatma Gandhi, and a chess set from the recent Chennai Chess Olympiad- are among the 1,200 gifts received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will be auctioned starting September 17 and till October 2.
Around 300 of these gifts are already on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art. The reserve prices start from Rs 100 for some items and go as high as a few lakhs for a few items. The proceeds will go to the government’s “Namami Gange” initiative. Namami Gange is an integrated conservation and rejuvenation program initiated by the Central government in June 2014. The program aims to ensure the effective reduction of pollution and protection of the river Ganga by adopting a comprehensive river basin approach.
This is the fourth auction of the gifts and souvenirs received by the PM, including sports gear and equipment of Paralympians and athletes who won medals at the Commonwealth Games 2022. The lowest starting bid, Rs 100, is for an image of Lord Ganesh. The sports section has shirts signed by several award-winning athletes. The Madhubani painting also celebrates 2 billion vaccinations. Among the more interesting items on display at the gallery is a photo portrait that shows Mahatma Gandhi and PM Narendra Modi, with the legend Father of the Nation and Son of the Nation.
At last year’s auction, India’s Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra’s javelin fetched Rs 1.5 crore. All the proceeds of the auction also went to the mission to clean Ganga.
