Prime Minister Narendra Modi received more than 1,300 gifts on his 75th birthday, including a statue of Goddess Bhavani and a model of Ayodhya’s Ram temple. These gifts will be put up for online auction, continuing a tradition that began in 2019.
The seventh edition of the e-auction will open on September 17 and run until October 2, coinciding with PM Modi’s birthday celebrations.
Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced that the auction will be held at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in New Delhi, where the items are currently on display.
Among the top-valued gifts are the Goddess Bhavani statue, with a base price of Rs 1.03 crore, and the Ram temple model, valued at Rs 5.5 lakh. A set of three pairs of shoes worn by medal-winning athletes at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, priced at Rs 7.7 lakh, also features among the five most significant items.
The wider collection includes a handwoven Naga shawl, a Pashmina shawl from Jammu and Kashmir, a Rogan artwork from Gujarat, a Tanjore painting of Ram Durbar, and a metallic Nataraja statue.
This year’s special highlight is sports memorabilia contributed by India’s para-athletes from the Paris Paralympics, symbolising “resilience and excellence,” the Culture Ministry said.
Since its launch in 2019, auctions of gifts received by PM Modi have raised over Rs 50 crore for the Namami Gange project, which focuses on cleaning and conserving the Ganga River.
“The e-auction is not just an opportunity to own a piece of history, but also a chance to contribute to a noble cause,” the ministry added.
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