Gandhi belongings sell for $1.8 m over protests; Indian buyer to display them
NEW YORK -- After intense protests from the Indian government and press, Mohandas Gandhi's eyeglasses and some of his other belongings were sold Thursday afternoon for $1.8 million after last-minute attempts to halt the auction of the items.
The buyer was identified as Vijay Mallya, an Indian liquor and airline executive who owns the company that makes Kingfisher beer. A representative for Mallya, Tony Bedhi, did the bidding and later announced that the belongings would be returned to India for public display, but it was not clear whether they would be turned over to the government, as some officials have demanded.
Indian officials had maintained that the auction - scheduled to be completed Thursday afternoon in Manhattan - was illegal, but also that they were continuing to negotiate with the owner, James Otis, over a possible resolution. Ultimately, the government and Otis were not successful in halting the auction...
The story has dominated headlines in India over several days.
Read entire article at International Herald Tribune
The buyer was identified as Vijay Mallya, an Indian liquor and airline executive who owns the company that makes Kingfisher beer. A representative for Mallya, Tony Bedhi, did the bidding and later announced that the belongings would be returned to India for public display, but it was not clear whether they would be turned over to the government, as some officials have demanded.
Indian officials had maintained that the auction - scheduled to be completed Thursday afternoon in Manhattan - was illegal, but also that they were continuing to negotiate with the owner, James Otis, over a possible resolution. Ultimately, the government and Otis were not successful in halting the auction...
The story has dominated headlines in India over several days.