Nearly 2,000 bids have been placed during the fifth annual auction of mementos presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said officials familiar with the matter, with a statue of Lord Laxmi Narayan Vitthal and goddess Rukmini the most sought-after so far and a painting of Banaras Ghat, painted by renowned artist Paresh Maity, receiving the highest bid of ₹74.5 lakh, as on Monday.
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The auction began on October 2and will continue till October 31. Proceeds from the auction, of over 900 souvenirs, will go to the government’s “Namami Gange” initiative, a project aimed at rejuvenating the river Ganga.
The statue, presented by Maharashtra chief minister, depicts lord Vitthal and goddess Rukmini “adorned in flowing dhotis and anklets, radiating grace and divinity. The conical cylindrical headgear worn by both deities is reminiscent of the Linga, symbolising their sacred connection. Goddess Rukmini, the beloved consort of Lord Vitthal, adorns a sindoor mark on her forehead, signifying their divine marriage,” according to its description on website.
Its price more than doubled, from ₹7,000 to ₹15,000, and the statue has so far received 46bids.
A memento of Kamdhenu with a calf, presented to the Prime Minister by a company KRSNA, is the second most popular gift on the bidding table with 39bids, said the official.
“The souvenir is a figure of gaumata feeding her young calf… The idol is composed of fibre and has been gold-plated. The figure is adorned with a beaded neckpiece and a crown,” said its description.
Bidding on the souvenir started at ₹1,800 and has so far hit ₹8,600.
The third most sought-after gift is a souvenir of Jerusalem that has received 38 bids.
“The souvenir is made up of silver 925 with the process of electroforming. The souvenir stands on a black base, depicting a panoramic scene of Jerusalem city,” said the description. Its price jumped from ₹3,300 to ₹12,900.
The painting of Banaras Ghat by Maity, meanwhile, has received bids from seven people, with the steepest one at ₹74.5 lakh, as against a base price of ₹64 lakh.
A white angavastra (a loose garment usually worn over the shoulder) autographed by the men’s and women’s 2022 Deaflympics shooting teams. India finished second in last year’s Deaflympics, with three gold and two bronze medals.
It started at a base price of ₹5,40,000 and has received one bid for ₹6 lakh.
Last year, a badminton racquet signed by Thomas Cup winner K Srikanth received the highest bid of ₹51 lakh. The item description for the badminton racquet said: “black racket having a white grip with a quote saying, ‘THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR SUPPORT’, written with a marker preserved inside the black velvet sling bag”. Its starting bid was ₹5 lakh. The racket was followed by a T-shirt autographed by Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Gold medallist Manish Narwal. Its bidding started at ₹10 lakh and closed at ₹50,25,000.
