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Sotheby’s to auction letters of Gandhiji, Nehru

London: A series of signed and autographed letters by Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru will figure in a Sotheby’s sale here on July 14.

Three letters written in Urdu by Gandhiji to Islamic scholar and leading figure in the Khilafat Movement, Maulana Abdul Bari, are currently estimated to fetch £2,500-3,000 (Rs.1.99 lakh - 2.38 lakh).

The letters refer to the Hindu-Muslim relations, including communal tension in Lucknow, and their personal friendship.

A letter Gandhiji wrote from the prison thanks Bari for the gift of cotton for spinning.

A piece of khadi, said to have been woven by him and gifted to South African-born actress Moira Lister with his autograph on it, will go under the hammer, for an estimated £2,000-2,500 (Rs.1.59 lakh - 1.99 lakh).

Two postcards, autographed by Gandhiji for Urdu poet Hamid Ullah Afsar, also figure in the auction under the category “English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations.”

Some 29 signed and four autographed letters and notes signed by Nehru to friend Mridula Sarabhai, alongwith a signed document, a greetings card and 29 envelopes will have an estimated price of £4,000-5,000 (Rs.3.17-3.97 lakh).

Nehru’s letters discuss the events in Kashmir, Sarabhai’s political campaigns, rehabilitation of Muslims evicted from homes at the time of the Partition and a humanitarian project for homeless children in Delhi. — PTI

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Sotheby’s to auction letters of Gandhiji, Nehru

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