An auction sparks controversy

It was announced in February that relics of Mahatma Gandhi, India's revered 'Father of the Nation', were to go on auction in New York this week.

The items included his spectacles, a pair of his sandals, his pocket watch, and the plate and cup he used for his last meal before being assassinated in 1948.

There were immediate protests from India, whose Government felt that the relics belonged to the nation, and should be returned to the Mahatma's homeland. The owner, James Otis, appeared to buckle under the pressure for a time, and said he'd withdrawn them from sale: but in the event, the auction went ahead as scheduled. Meanwhile, private citizens in India began taking up collections to buy the items, and appeals were made to wealthy Indian businessmen to do so on behalf of the nation.

Today comes the news that Gandhi's possessions were sold for $1.8 million to Vijay Mallya, an Indian businessman, who plans to take them back to India. It's not clear what will happen to them in future.

A BBC reporter attended the sale, and reported his impressions in some detail. Here's an excerpt:

The buyer was one of India's richest men. The chairman of United Breweries, Vijay Mallya had been on the phone all along, talking to his representative Toni Bedi - a sharply dressed man in an immaculate white turban, sitting near the front.

Afterwards, as the scrum pressed forwards towards him, Mr Bedi asked for "a little breathing room".

Were the items really worth $1.8m I asked him?

"Absolutely. I think it's well worth it, and a lot more. If you look at the heritage of Mahatma Gandhi and what Mahatma Gandhi was teaching it is well worth it."

Where would they be going now? "Probably go to India." On public display? "I don't know. Dr Mallya would decide."

Several on-lookers wondered what all the fuss was about.

"Who is he," they asked? "He's just bought Gandhi's sandals," a cameraman replied. "Oh." A look of disappointment. Clearly here Gandhi is not the star material Manhattan is used to.

But for Mr Bedi, and his boss we assume, it was a job well done. As the seller indicated he would not after all stand in the way of the sale, assuming the items do go back to India, the buyer tried to get away from the media throng.

"We're off for lunch," he said with a broad grin. Well earned, presumably the majority of Indians are thinking.

I think the Mahatma would have been horrified to realize that his simple possessions would fetch such a sum . . . but hopefully his countryfolk will now have the chance to include them in their tributes to their nation's Father.

Peter