There was a high drama. Despite Government of India’s attempts to prevent the auction of Mahatma Gandhi memorabilia at New York, the auctioneers went ahead…And there was furious bidding. Finally, representatives of Vijay Mallya, the billionaire chairman of United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines, outlasted other collectors.
Mahatma Gandhi’s five personal items, including the iconic round eye glasses and a pair of leather sandals, that went under the hammer on Thursday were bought for US $ 1.8 million.
Tony Bedi, who did the bidding for Mr Mallya, said that the items would be turned over to the Indian government and put on display. He said that he thought they were worth at least $6m, reports The Financial Times. More here…
It is ironic/interesting that Vijay Mallya, who is known for his opulent lifestyle and his airlines’ sexy calendar brought out every year, should get back to the country the frugal belogings of the nation’s legendary and austere man. (See here…)
For The New York Times story please click here…
My earlier posts here and here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.