A TINSEL garland worn by Mahatma Gandhi during the Dandi March of 1930 remains open for bids after failing to meet its £20,000-£30,000 guide price at a UK auction.
The garland, with folded paper wrappers inscribed in Gujarati, is believed to have been presented as the Salt March passed near the Ahmedabad home of Gandhi’s personal physician, Dr Balvantrai N Kanuga. It was offered by his wife, Nanduben Kanuga.
The item was part of an ‘Islamic and Indian Art’ sale by Lyon & Turnbull in London last Wednesday (11).
“I am very surprised that the ‘Gandhi Garland’ did not find a home on the day of the auction,” said Kristina Sanne, head of sale at the auction house, which specialises in fine arts and antiques. “That said, we have had quite a lot of interest since the sale and hope to sell it to the highest bidder. It deserves a great home,” she added.
The garland features a large teardropshaped medallion of pink cloth backed on card, embellished with silver and gold thread and sequins in an intricate pattern. It is edged with gold tinsel and connected by gold threads to four smaller rectangular and two triangular medallions, similarly decorated to form a necklace, showcasing fine craftsmanship.
It descended from the collection of the late Dr Balvantrai N Kanuga, who, along with his wife, spent time at Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram as fellow satyagrahis.
A photograph of Gandhi being presented with the garland bears an inscription that reads: “Gandhiji Nanduben Kanuga. On the day of Dandi March. At Bungalow 12th March 1930.”
The auction literature explains: “This garland was presented to Gandhi to mark an auspicious beginning to the Salt March, a major non-violent protest in India in March-April 1930. The Salt March was one of Gandhi’s most successful campaigns in the struggle against British rule to secure equal rights and freedom for Indians.
“Starting at his ashram (religious retreat) at Sabarmati (near Ahmedabad), the march reached Dandi after a journey of some 240 miles. On the morning of April 6, Gandhi and his followers picked up handfuls of salt from along the seashore. In so doing, they technically ‘produced’ salt and broke the law.” A photograph accompanying the lot shows Nanduben Kanuga placing the garland around Gandhi’s neck. It is said to have been returned to the Kanugas after the march.
“A few weeks later, Dr Kanuga further contributed to the cause by paying `1,600 for the grains of salt that Gandhi had made at Dandi,” reads the footnote.
While the garland remained unsold, other items drew competitive bidding. An illustration from a Bhagavata Purana series from Punjab sold for £27,700, exceeding its £15,000-£20,000 estimate. A group of six Rajput Equestrian Portraits from Rajasthan fetched £20,160, surpassing expectations, and an album of Kalighat Paintings was sold for £21,420.
“The Indian Art section saw frantic bidding throughout and was over 90 per cent sold. A real testament to the buoyancy of the Indian art market,” said Sanne.
Thangam Debbonaire (Pic from Wikimedia Commons)
Richard Townshend