Gandhi's handwritten notes sold for record price
The sale keeps the notes in India and sets a benchmark for a personal record of Gandhi’s teachings and friendship with Anand T Hingorani.
Friday, 21 August 2026 10:06
A rare collection of 688 handwritten notes by Mahatma Gandhi has sold for $1.69m (£1.3m) at a Saffronart auction in Mumbai, BBC News reported. Saffronart said it was a record.
The auction house said the sale set the highest price paid for an Indian historical document at auction. The notes were owned and preserved by the family of Gandhi’s close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani.
The messages, written between 1944 and 1946, concerned truth, non-violence and self-restraint. Gandhi wrote to Hingorani for around two years after the death of Hingorani’s wife, Vidya, offering guidance, consolation and encouragement.
The messages were later compiled in a book called A Thought for the Day. Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart, said the collection allowed people to see Gandhi “through the lens of a close, personal relationship”.
The notes were the highlight of Saffronart’s 86-lot auction, titled Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani. The lot also included letters, manuscripts, photographs and personal objects preserved by the Hingorani family over generations.
Gandhi led India’s non-violent struggle against British rule and is fondly known as the father of the nation. Saffronart did not disclose the buyer’s identity but said the notes would remain in India.
Support nwsTrail
nwsTrail is an independent global news site. Your support helps keep the content free and independent.
