The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Netaji painting to rice pot, 250 gifts to Presidents on auction from today
BOOKS, TRIBAL jewellery, furniture, idols and sculptures are among 250 objects which will go under the hammer Monday as part of a special auction of gifts and mementoes received by various Indian Presidents.
The auction, to be held by Rashtrapati Bhavan on the EUpahaar portal from August 526, the base prices of the articles range from ` 2,700 to ` 4 lakh. The proceeds will be donated to help children, Rashtrapati Bhavan officials said.
Among the items is a memento received by President Droupadi Murmu from the Andaman Nicobar Command in February — six models of ships and submarines utilised by the Navy encased in an acrylic glass cover, symbolising the command’s maritime presence. The 15- kg model is now up for grabs at a base price of ` 7,500.
A shell craft painting of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, weighing over 14 kg, received by Murmu, which commemorates the anniversary of the momentous hoisting of the Tricolour by Bose in Port Blair, has the highest starting price of ` 4.02 lakh.
There’s also a replica of Karnataka's Hoysaleshwara Temple presented to Murmu by Vice Admiral RB Pandit, which also has a base price of ` 1.5 lakh.
A round marble plate received by former President Pratibha Devisingh Patil has a base price of ` 6,000. A rice padi ( metal pot) received by former President Pranab Mukherjee, by the Jain community of Haryana, capable of holding around 1.5 kg of rice, is also available for bidding at ` 3,500 onwards. The lowest base price of ` 2,700 is for a trophy received by Mukherjee, featuring a crystal globe.
A pair of deer made from thread and cardboard, presented to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2005 during the National Convention of Small, Agro, and Rural Industries is also among the items for bid, for almost the same price as the metal pot.
Jaapi, a traditional conical multi coloured headgear, received by former President Ram Nath Kovind, from Assam, is available at ` 3,0 0 0 onwards, while a metal pen holder is available at a base price of ` 2,800.