Want to own a piece of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gift collection? Over 12,000 gift items received by the PM from various dignitaries, celebrities, politicians and sportspersons, is set to go under the gavel on September 17, 2022 for auction. The gifts are currently on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi. The bidding will be conducted through web portal pmmementos.gov.in, and will conclude on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, NGMA Director General Adwaita Gadanayak told media.
What gifts did PM Modi get?
The collection that is set to be auctioned includes a wide range of gifts including those presented by a common man and as well by various dignitaries, representing India's rich culture and heritage, are to be auctioned.
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The list of gifts includes a statue of Rani Kamlapati gifted by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a Hanuman idol and a sun painting gifted by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, and a Trishul gifted by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
The gifts also include exquisite paintings, sculptures, handicrafts and folk artifacts. Several of these are items customarily offered as gifts, such as traditional angavastras, shawls, head gears, ceremonial swords and so on.
Other memorabilia of interest include replicas and models of the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
The collection also includes a statue of goddess Mahalaxmi, situated at Kolhapur, gifted by NCP leader Ajit Pawar and a wall hanging of Lord Venkateshwara gifted by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
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The National Gallery of Modern Art's Director Temsunaro Jamir said there is a special collection of sport items such as T-shirts, boxing gloves, javelin and racquets signed by medal-winning players.
How much do the gifts cost?
The base price of the gifts ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 10 lakh. This will be the fourth edition of the e-auction of gifts received by PM Modi. The proceeds from the auction will go to the Namami Gange Mission.
Who can bid on the items?
The gifts are currently on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi. The bidding will be conducted through the web portal pmmementos.gov.in, and will conclude on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, NGMA Director General Adwaita Gadanayak told media. Anyone can bid for these items, she further added. The auction is of special interest to not only fans and followers of the PM but also collectors, and artists who wait for the opportunity to acquire rare artifacts, souvenirs and collectibles. According to a report in Economic times, a computer parts shop owner and stamp collector Parvesh Kumar Gupta had bid on 17 items in the last auction but only managed to get three. He plans to bid again on several items this year.
(With inputs from PTI)
