E-auction of gifts given to PM Modi begins; Ram temple model, Goddess Bhavani statue among 1,300 items

More than 1,300 items, including an exquisitely-crafted statue of Goddess Bhavani, an intricately-carved model of Ayodhya’s Ram temple and a set of sporting memorabilia from the Paralympic Games 2024, gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are part of an e-auction that begins here on Wednesday, officials said on Tuesday.

The start of the seventh edition of the online auction will coincide with the birthday of Modi, who turns 75 on Wednesday. It will be held till October 2.

According to the PM Mementoes website, the base price of the statue of Goddess Bhavani is Rs 1.03 crore, while that of the model of the Ram temple is Rs 5.5 lakh.

Culture ministry officials said these two items, along with three pairs of shoes of Paralympics medallists, each pair with a base price of Rs 7.7 lakh, are in the top-five bracket in terms of the base price.

Other items that will be part of the e-auction include an intricately-embroidered Pashmina shawl from Jammu and Kashmir, a Tanjore painting of Ram Durbar, a metallic Nataraja statue, a Rogan Art from Gujarat depicting the Tree of Life and a handwoven Naga shawl.

A special highlight of this edition is the sports memorabilia gifted by India’s para-athletes who participated in the Paris Paralympics 2024.

Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced the launch of the latest edition of the Prime Minister’s Mementoes e-auction at a press interaction hosted at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) here.

“Since then, thousands of unique gifts presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been auctioned, raising more than Rs 50 crore in support of the Namami Gange project,” the culture ministry said.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel holobox

The Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya will unveil a lifelike holobox of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on Wednesday to commemorate the 77th anniversary of Operation Polo, which was launched for the annexation of Hyderabad, and celebrate PM Modi’s birthday.

Visitors will be able to have lifelike, interactive conversations with an AI-powered, hyper-realistic 3D avatar of the Iron Man of India. “This pioneering initiative, blended with cutting-edge technology, creates a deeply engaging and educational experience where visitors can pose questions and receive answers on the leader’s life, philosophies, and pivotal moments in India’s history,” the ministry said.

(with PTI inputs)