Seventy-two years after his death, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is still a subject of intrigue. Recently, when a pair of his glasses was auctioned for a whopping £2,60,000 in Britain, it created a buzz among collectors the world over.
“It is because Gandhi is still and will be relevant forever,” says S Kulandaisamy, honorary secretary of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, Chennai. “But are we relevant to his ideals and thought?” he asks.
October 2 marks 151 years of the Mahatma, and followers of Gandhian thought say he would continue to be discussed and debated.
While the auction house in Bristol that stumbled upon this pair of gold-plated glasses calls it “a find of international historical importance,” collectors such as Bengaluru-based Jayprakash Sarda say that Gandhi has always had an universal appeal.
One among the biggest collectors of Gandhi memorabilia in India, Jayprakash says, he is however, a fan of Subhash Chandra Bose.
Since the auction, East Bristol Auction House has been inundated with requests for valuations on Gandhi-related memorabilia. “Sometimes these were just old coins with his face on them, or magazines. Other items were a little more special, and whilst I can’t say too much, I’m quite certain these glasses won’t be the last time we sell something Gandhi-related,” says Andy Stowe, auctioneer, East Bristol Auctions, in an email interaction.
According to Jayprakash, it is the strange, yet exhilarating feeling of owning a tangible piece of history that keeps him going. He has been collecting Gandhi memorabilia since the 1990s and has everything from stamps to 8,000 pre-Independence newspaper articles, and over 1,000 magazines.
His collection also includes 250 to 300 rare photographs, 30-40 letters written by Gandhi, a set of crockery (with 63 items) issued for VIP delegates of the All India Congress Committee in 1937-38 and a one-kilogram Gandhi silver coin issued by the Republic of Malta. “The crockery carries the Indian flag with the imprint of the charkha on it,” says Jayprakash.
These form only 2% of his collection. A wholesale sari dealer, he keeps track of auctions and collectors and is always on the lookout for a collectible. “It is an expensive passion; but I have been able to support myself so far,” he says. He gets each item verified by experts. “I have converted three rooms in my house to mini museums, which store these valuables,” Jayprakash says.
As part of his work for the Gandhi Peace Foundation, a service organisation that develops Gandhian thought, Kulandaisamy says it is important to spread the Gandhian spirit, especially among younger people today. “Gandhiji was often accused of being a bundle of inconsistencies. But that is because he only saw the truth and truth has an evolving nature,” says the 67-year-old, who has published 45 books of Gandhian stories for children and adults.
Shape of history
Kochi-based sculptor KS Selvaraj, who is currently working on an eight-foot-tall copper sculpture of Gandhi for the National Gandhi Foundation, says he has to imbibe the essence of Gandhi in his physical form as well.
Selvaraj says it is the flexibility of Gandhi’s body that he is trying to recreate in his work. “Gandhiji’s body language is very unique and that is what appeals to me as a sculptor,” he says. Three Gandhi sculptures of his are in different parts of Kochi.
Gandhi will live on, especially in these times of unrest and turmoil, says Stowe: “Religious followers, collectors and museums were all scrambling to own a piece of history. Whether one agrees with his politics or not, no one can deny his enduring image — including his spectacles, loin cloth and sandals.”
