Mahatma Gandhi's handwritten notes sell for record Rs 16.2 crore at Saffronart auction
The manuscript, comprising Gandhi’s daily messages to his close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani, was written over two years following the death of Hingorani’s wife Vidya.
A rare collection of 688 handwritten reflections by Mahatma Gandhi on truth, ahimsa, service and moral responsibility was sold for a record Rs 16.20 crore at a Saffronart auction, setting a world record for an Indian historical document.
The manuscript, comprising Gandhi’s daily handwritten messages to his close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani, was written over two years following the death of Hingorani’s wife, Vidya. The messages of guidance, consolation and reflection were later compiled into a book, 'A Thought for the Day'. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, but Saffronart said the purchaser was from India and that the manuscript would remain in the country.
The 86-lot auction, titled 'Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani', brought together letters, manuscripts, photographs and personal objects associated with Gandhi, offering an unusually intimate glimpse into the Mahatma beyond his public role as the leader of India’s freedom movement.
The handwritten reflections touch upon a sweeping range of themes central to Gandhi’s philosophy, including truth, ahimsa, brahmacharya, non-possession, fearlessness, religious equality, the removal of untouchability, prayer, service, labour, Swaraj, moral responsibility, silence, conscience, non-attachment and self-realisation.
Rather than merely recording political events, the collection captures Gandhi in a deeply personal role — offering counsel, discipline, consolation and affection to someone within his close circle.
“It has been a privilege to bring the Anand T Hingorani Collection to auction and share a remarkable record of Gandhi’s life and thought,” said Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart. He said the exceptional response to the reflections underscored their rarity and historical significance, offering insight into how Gandhi sought to live the principles he advocated publicly.
Other significant lots also drew strong bids. 'Message on God', comprising three related manuscripts and correspondence items concerning Gandhi’s reflections on God and the Bhagavad Gita, sold for Rs 1.68 crore.
Gandhi’s peti charkha, or box spinning wheel, accompanied by two letters on the spiritual discipline of spinning, fetched Rs 1.02 crore against an estimate of Rs 50-70 lakh. A signed presentation photograph of Gandhi writing sold for Rs 78 lakh, while a set of his letters, telegrams and postcards concerning economic independence fetched Rs 57.60 lakh.
Preserved by the Hingorani family across generations, the collection spans more than two decades of Gandhi’s relationship with Hingorani. Together, the correspondence, photographs, manuscripts and personal objects document not only defining episodes of the freedom struggle but also a friendship marked by mentorship, personal counsel and sustained intellectual and spiritual exchange.
The record-setting manuscript thus stands as more than a valuable historical artefact: it offers a rare window into Gandhi’s private voice and the everyday practice of the ideals that shaped his public life.
