PM’s treasured gifts set to go under the gavel to save Ganga
A Madhubani painting that details the trials and tribulations of people, and preventive measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic; a pencil whose lead is shaped in the form of Mahatma Gandhi; and a chess set from the recent Chennai Chess Olympiad — these 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 are already on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art. The reserve prices start from ₹100 for some items, and go as high as a few lakhs for a few, as the government works to collate all the items that will be listed online for the auction until October 2. The proceeds will go to the government’s “Namami Gange” initiative. Namami Gange is an integrated conservation and rejuvenation programme initiated by the Central government in June 2014. The programme aims to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a comprehensive river basin approach.
This is the 4th auction of gifts and mementos received by the PM, including sports gear and equipment of Paralympians and athletes who won medals at CWG 22.
The lowest starting bid, ₹100, is for an image of Lord Ganesh that has its own history. It is sourced from Shree Venayaka Devaru temple from Karnataka. The sports section has shirts signed by several award winning athletes. There’s is also the table tennis racket signed by Bhavina Patel, a gold medalist at CWG 22. The reserve price for the racket is ₹5 lakh.
Gifts received from chief ministers and governors are also on display. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath gifted the PM a replica of an upcoming sports complex, while former Punjab CM Charanjit Channi gave him a chakra.
The Madhubani painting also commemorates 2 billion vaccinations. Among the more interesting items on display at the gallery is a photo-illustration that shows Mahatma Gandhi and Narendra Modi, with the legend Father of the Nation and Son of the Nation.
