Govt wakes up, to stop auction of Gandhiji's items

After a public furore, the government has decided to acquire Mahatma Gandhi's personal belongings including his iconic glasses which were to auctioned in New York early March.

The government is still exploring options as to how to go about the process. Gandhiji's grandson Tushar Gandhi has already been trying to get those items back.

Five personal belongings of Gandhiji including, spectacles, glasses, sandals, a pocket watch and some utensils are slated for auction in New York on March 4 and 5.

Now the Indian government is expected to make a formal request to return them citing honour and respect for Indian sentiment.

But if this request is unheard, then the government hopes to convince some organisation to buy them and gift them to India. The government is also toying with the idea of buying them at a reserve price.

The Indian mission in New York and Washington has already been briefed about it.

But what is intriguing is that even after the auctioning of Gandhiji's letters by Christies in London in 2007 had to be withdrawn following loud protests and an appeal from India, the government has been caught unawares over the this one.

"It was a national shame that somebody that we refer to as Father of the Nation and his personal belongings are being auctioned off in a foreign land. This kind of concern should be for every national heritage," says Tushar Gandhi.

Especially so since the Minister of Culture Ambika Soni has been proposing for some time a law prohibiting auction of belongings of leaders like Gandhiji.

The government's worry now is understandable as in the election season Gandhiji is a powerful emotion.