A pinch of sand soaked with the blood of Mahatma Gandhi following his assassination in 1948, some of his hand-written post cards and a pair of spectacles would be put to auction in London, which have for long been zealously preserved by a Kerala-based antique buff.
Antony Chittattukara, a retired teacher and an ardent Gandhian himself, said these priceless Gandhi memorabilia would be put for bid by global auctioneers, Mullocks at Ludlow Racecourse, London.
The auction date was announced after completing all formalities like furnishing clarifications for the authenticity of the articles and circumstances under which they came into his possession, Chittattukara said.
Antony said his collection of the Gandhi memorabilia, included eight letters, some of the hand-written post cards and others typed, the spectacles used by Gandhiji when he was a law student in London and a piece of flannel given by a London optician with the reading glass.
The collection also comprises a prayer book in Gandhi's mother tongue Gujarati, and a gramaphone record containing the speeches he had delivered during his prayer meetings, Antony said.
He said he had kept these items in bank lockers for about 20 years. Antony said earlier some auctioneers had approached him offering huge amounts for his collection but he was reluctant to part with them as he believed that no price could match the true value of these articles that belonged to the Mahatma.
These items, which he got from eminent Gandhian Raghava Poduval several years ago, were sent to the auctioneers three months ago thinking that they would reach safe hands who would preserve them for future generations, he added.
According to Chittattukara, the soil soaked with the Mahatma's blood was collected by one Subedar P.P. Nambiar, who was part of the security guards posted outside the Birla House before Gandhi was shot dead.
Nambiar had kept it with him for long. Some time back, he issued an advertisement in newspapers in Kerala that he was willing to hand it over to persons who are ready to preserve it. Chittattukara then approached Nambiar and got a pinch of it from him for his collection.