New Delhi: A collection of 688 handwritten reflections by Mahatma Gandhi has sold for Rs 16.20 crore, establishing a new world record for an Indian historical document sold at an auction. Penned over two years for his close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani following the death of Hingorani’s wife Vidya, the daily notes were later compiled into the book “A Thought for the Day” and represent one of the most intimate surviving correspondences of Gandhi’s life.
The manuscript covers foundational Gandhian principles including truth, ahimsa, non-possession, fearlessness, religious equality, service, labour, and self-realisation. Beyond recording major moments of India’s independence movement, the writings offer insight into Gandhi’s private role as a compassionate mentor providing moral discipline and consolation to those in his inner circle.
The broader auction featured 86 lots comprising personal artefacts, letters, and rare photographs preserved across generations by the Hingorani family. Highlights included Gandhi’s personal box spinning wheel, or peti charkha, accompanied by two letters on the spiritual discipline of spinning, which sold for Rs 1.02 crore. A series of three manuscript items titled “Message on God” fetched Rs 1.68 crore, while a signed presentation photograph of Gandhi writing achieved Rs 78 lakh alongside a set of correspondence on economic independence that brought in Rs 57.60 lakh.
Spanning more than two decades of interaction, the historical archive highlights the enduring personal bond and philosophical exchange between Gandhi and Hingorani throughout the struggle for Indian independence
