What happens to the mementos which our heads of states get in the country as well as abroad? They are either showcased in the official residences of the successors or deposited in the treasury. We have also heard of the dignitaries taking these as their personal belongings after vacating the posts. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an exception. Over 2,700 gifts PM Modi received from across the country will go under the hammer from September 14 and the fund generated will be used for conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganga, Culture Minister Prahlad Patel said on Wednesday.
Modi has a record of auctioning these gifts and mementos and donating the funds raised to a social cause. He did this even when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. In fact, he donated his entire salary, which he received as the CM, for girls’ education. He has continued the legacy even as the Prime Minister of the country. He happens to be the first prime minister who has decided to auction his gifts which he receives for the noble cause of conserving lifeline of the country.
He travels a lot in the country and is a globe-trotting politician making Indian inroads deeper around the globe. Second time after Narendra Modi has taken over as the prime minister, the government is organizing an e-auction of the gifts at the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA). The exhibition-cum-e-Auction will be held from September 14 to October 3, 2019. The auction will be held on the web portal www.pmmementos.gov.in.
The second round of auction includes 2,700 mementos that were on display for general public at NGMA. The display titled ‘Smriti Chinh’ includes 576 shawls, 964 anga vastram, 88 pagris, and various jackets that portray the diverse and colourful culture of the country. The lowest basis price of these mementos is Rs 200 and the highest can go upto Rs 2.5lakh. The amount raised will be used to support the Namami Gange project.
The first such auction was held on January 27 and 28, 2019 at the NGMA in New Delhi. In the first phase, ministry of culture conducted physical auction of 1,800 mementos. The highlight of this physical auction was a specially handcrafted wooden bike that successfully fetched Rs 5 lakhs and similar bid was also received for a unique painting that depicted PM Modi on a railway platform. Similarly, many other mementos fetched an auction value several times their base price. Like a statue of lord Shiva with base price of Rs 5,000 was auctioned for Rs 10 lakhs, 200 times the base price. The remaining items were sold through e-auction. The funds raised were given for the Namami Gange Project.
The journey of auction of mementos and gifts will continue in the coming days as PM Modi has decided to contribute more and more towards collection of funds to clean up the holy river Ganga.
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