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New Delhi : Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC) Prahlad Singh Patel on September 14, 2019, inaugurated Exhibition cum E-auction of Gifts Presented to PM Narendra Modi at National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, Patel said that Narendra Modi is the first ever Prime Minister of India, who has decided to auction all the gifts he receives for a noble cause of conserving the lifeline of the country- the river Ganges- through Namami Gange. The Culture Minister said that the value of these mementos cannot be measured in monetary terms but the emotional and sentimental values attached to the gifts are high and immeasurable. He also said that a letter will be sent from the Government of India to top 20 highest bidders complimenting them for their contribution towards Namami Gange Project. Patel said that this is the 2nd round of E- auction of prestigious and memorable gifts presented to Prime Minister of India.
Speaking to the media, the Minister informed that more than 2,700 mementos will be E-auctioned in this round. Around 500 mementos are presently on display titled “SMRITI CHINH” for the general public at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) from 11am in the morning till 8pm in the evening. The displayed mementos will be changed every week. The gift items including Paintings, Memento, Sculptures, shawls, Pagri, Jackets and Traditional musical instruments etc are displayed artistically in the Administrative Wing of the NGMA. The lowest base price of the mementos is Rs 200 and the highest is Rs 2.5 Lakhs, he added, according to a PIB release.
He also informed that the Mementos include 576 Shawls, 964 Anga Vastram, 88 Pagris and various jackets portraying the diversified and colourful Culture of our Country. The amount raised in lieu of the auction shall be used to support the Project “Namami Gange”, he added. Arun Goel, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, was also present during the programme.
1st PHASE – National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, under the aegis of Ministry of Culture conducted the physical auction of 1,800 Mementos received by Prime Minister on several occasions on January 27&–28, 2019, at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. The remaining items were sold through e-auction. The proceeds raised out of the auction were used for the project “Namami Gange”.
The Major Highlight of the Physical auction organised at NGMA was that a specially handcrafted wooden bike received a successful bid of Rs 5 lakh. A similar bid was also received for a unique painting, which depicts Prime Minister Modi on a railway platform – a uniquely artistic interpretation of Narendra Modi’s special bond with the railways.