Thirteen’s unlucky,' I remarked as one of the organisers of an auction of gifts received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his term in office handed me a bidding paddle. 'Unlucky for some -- lucky for others,' replied the young woman at the registration counter cheerily.
I was at the National Gallery of Modern Art to attend the unique sale of the mementos received by Modi during his four-and-a-half years at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.
Nearly 2,000 items are being auctioned over two days on January 28 and 29 that’s being followed by an e-auction on January 29th and 30th. The funds raised are earmarked for the government's flagship Namami Gange project aimed at conserving and rejuvenating the river Ganga.
Everything from shawls, pagdis and bamboo hats to portraits of Modi, Gandhi statues and Ambedkar busts are going under the hammer.
But the auction conducted by NGMA began on a lame note with the first two items remaining unsold. The lack of interest wasn’t all that surprising considering that the first item was a Surat Marathon poster for which the auctioneer kicked off bidding at Rs 2,500. The second offering that failed to draw any buyers was a wooden memento entitled New India 2022 for which bidding opened at a hefty Rs 8,000.
It was only when a metal bust of B.R. Ambedkar was offered for sale that the audience suddenly livened up. The interest of the crowd may have been stirred more by the fact that the auctioneer set the base price at a more modest Rs 1,000. The bust finally sold for double the price at Rs 2,000 to Paddle No. 005.
Paddle No. 005, sitting a few rows behind me, turned out to be an enthusiastic nationalist of whom there were quite a few at the auction. He then bought a picture of the Prime Minister entitled Vikas Avatar for Rs 4,600, beating another nationalist in the bidding. Then, not satisfied with just one Namo portrait, he snapped up another photo of the PM for Rs 3,800.
A photograph of Narendra Modi with a winning bid of Rs 3800 Smita Tripathi
While I was still glowing with the warmth that comes with being a good citizen, Piyush Goyal, our interim finance minister, walked in and quietly took his place in the front row. Several other people decided to go and sit in the second row right behind him, maybe in an attempt to take selfies -- or to get a chance to show him they were all doing their bit.
As if on cue, a plaster of Paris bust of Shivaji came up for auction with a base price of Rs 1,000. Someone said Rs 1,100 and the auctioneer was happy it was off the block. The next moment, a voice from the back said Rs 2,000 and she smiled. Over the next few minutes, several people bid for it, raising the price to Rs 7,000. But then they fell silent as it became an all out war between Paddle No 017 and Paddle No 102, each raising the other's bid by a significant amount. Shivaji went home with Paddle No 017 for Rs 22,000. The son of the soil again proved his credentials by doing its bit for cleaning up the Ganga.
Unlike other organised auctions, this one did not have a catalogue and one had no clue what would come up for auction next or what the bid price range would be. While a big photograph wishing the Prime Minister happy birthday was not sold, the next item -- a small plaster of Paris statue of a deer -- sold for Rs 1,600.
I waited with bated breath to see what would really catch the fancy of my fellow bidders. It turned out to be a metal figurine of an Adivasi woman. Bidding started at Rs 1,000 and it sold at Rs 5,500. That final price represented a sizeable leap when you consider that the bids were only moving up by Rs 100 and Rs 200.
I decided I should do my bit for cleaning up the Ganga and help the government raise money for the project by participating in the auction which basically amounts to a de-cluttering exercise -- in this case of the Prime Minister’s house.
When a miniature Rajasthani painting came up for bidding with a base price of Rs 1,000, I decided it was time to test the luckiness of paddle No. 13. I bid Rs 1,100, but then someone else swiftly said Rs 1,200. When the bidding hit Rs 1,800, I put my paddle down. The painting finally sold at Rs 5,000 so I was relieved I exited the bidding when I did.
Still, over the next hour, even though I didn’t succeed in any of my bids, I was responsible for increasing the price of some items by several hundred rupees and felt happy about my bit for cleaning the Ganga.
After the Rajasthani painting came a plaster of Paris statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Bidding began at Rs 500. Several people jumped in and the Father of the Nation was finally sold for Rs 1,800, much lower than what was paid for NaMo's photos and portraits. However, good to know he’s still in demand -- unlike Lal Bahadur Shastri whose picture was left almost unsold until someone made a last-minute minimum bid for Rs 2,200.
When a large picture of the Gaumukh came up, I wondered if I was willing to pay Rs 2,000 for it. I’d seen similar ones in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar for half the price. But bidding was fierce and the Gaumukh was sold for Rs 15,000 to paddle No 031. He commented it was all for a good cause.
I still wanted to take back a little of the NaMo magic home with me too. I had my eyes set on a wooden bike and a jacket with Kutch work. But it looked like neither was going to come up for auction soon. So when a bust of Basaveshwara, dedication of Bidar-Gulbarga New Railway Line to the Nation, came up, I decided to go full out. Bidding started at Rs 2,000. I bid Rs 2,200, then someone else chimed in with Rs 2,400. And so the bidding action went till it hit Rs 3,000 and the auctioneer asked me if I wanted to raise my offer. 'Rs 3,200,' I declared confidently. 'Last call,' said the auctioneer as she slowly brought down the hammer. 'Sold to Paddle No. 13'.
And with that not only did I become the proud owner of a bust of the Kannada Hindu philosopher and poet but I also played my role in helping the government raise funds to clean the Ganga.
A plaster of Paris Shivaji statue that was sold for Rs 22,000 Smita Tripathi
Bust of Basaweshwara that the author successfully bid for Smita Tripathi
A wall hanging and a wooden bike up for auction Smita Tripathi