Gandhi going once, twice

James Otis is a collector. He is selling some items once owned by Mahatma Gandhi including his iconic glasses and sandals. Gandhi had given them to people he met during his international travels. The items were to go to auction today in New York. Hysteria has hit India at the prospect that items that once belonged to the ‘Father of the Nation’ might not reside in India for perpetuity. The Indian Government has been galvanised into action by the public outcry and is pushing for Otis to donate them, or sell them cheaply to the Government. Two hours from the auction Otis undertook to donate the items to India on condition that the Indian Government increase the proportion of GDP spent on health care for the poor. Indian cable channels are aghast that he could attach such sovereignty-challenging conditions to the gift. The Government is refusing to sign a contract to that effect. I can’t help but wonder what Mahatma Gandhi might make of all this – a possession shedding man’s possessions are fought over in a global tug of war, live on TV. All await the outcome of “THE GANDHI AUCTION.”