The exhibition cum e-auctioning of mementos received by Prime Minister drew to a close today on 24th October. The auction met with a tremendous response and tens of thousands of bids were received. All proceeds from the e-auction will be donated towards funding the Namami Gange Mission.
The Union culture ministry organised the e-auction starting from 14th September to sell a total of 2772 mementos gifted to the Prime Minister. Items were kept on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. The mementos include diverse objects and memorabilia including paintings, sculptures, shawls, jackets and traditional musical instruments.
Initially, the e-auction was supposed to be held till 3rd October. However, in face of a tremendous public response and a request for more people to participate, a decision was taken to extend the auction process for another three weeks. As of today, all items on auction stand sold-out. Celebrities, politicians and activists have shown interest in the auction, with many like Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, and singer Kailash Kher endorsing it.
Amongst the mementos on display, the lowest base price was kept at Rs 500 for items like small statue of Lord Ganesha and decorative wooden box in lotus shape. The highest base price of Rs. 2.5 lakhs was reserved for an acrylic painting with a tri-colour background of Prime Minister with Mahatma Gandhi, which has received a final bid of Rs. 25 lakhs. A framed photograph of the Prime Minister receiving blessings from his mother, with a base price of Rs. 1000, has received a bid of Rs 20 lakh. Other popular auction items include an exhibit of Manipuri Folk Arts (an original base price of Rs. 50,000, sold for a bid of Rs. 10 lakhs), a metallic sculpture of a cow feeding a calf (a base price of Rs. 4,000, sold for a bid of Rs. 10 lakhs) and a metallic 14 cm statue of Swami Vivekanand (base price of Rs. 4,000 that has received a final price of Rs. 6 lakhs).
