London: Rare photographs of Mahatma
Gandhi, taken during the Quit India movement days, sold for
2,880 pounds, nearly double the pre-sale estimates, at an
auction here today that also saw an album of early prints of
ancient sites in Karnataka realising prices over five times
higher.
The rare collection of 21 prints of Gandhi's photos
had a pre-sale estimate of 1,000-1,500 pounds at Bonham's
"Travel and Photography: India and Beyond" sale.
The photographs of Gandhi, taken on August 7 showed
him at an informal indoor gathering on historic day when he
addressed the opening day of the All India Congress Committee
at the Gowalia tank Maidan in Mumbai and launched his call for
non-violent protest against British rule.
"I stick to the principle of non-violence as I did
before. If you are tired of it then you need not come with me.
At the time when I am about to launch the biggest fight in my
life there can be no hatred for the British in my heart,"
Gandhi said to his countrymen.
The next day, Congress overwhelmingly backed the
formation of Quit India movement that had the famous slogan of
"Do or die".
The album of early photographs of some of the ancient
cultural sites in Karnataka was by celebrated lensman Andrew
Neill and sold for 33,600 pounds. These prints were estimated
to fetch 4,000-6,000 pounds.
Neill was attached to the Indian Medical Service at
Madras and is remembered for his contributions to Ferguson and
Taylor's architecture in Dharwar and Mysore, 1866, several
images of which are included in the collection.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, October 05, 2010, 22:44