New Delhi: Gandhian writer Giriraj Kishore has said that he will return his Padma Shri to the government to protest Gandhi item auction.
This came a day after a pinch of soil and blood-stained blades of grass from the place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 sold for 10,000 pounds at an auction in London on Tuesday that also saw many other Gandhi memorabilia going under the hammer including his iconic round-rimmed glasses that fetched more than twice the estimated price.
While the glasses sold for 34,000 pounds, the 'charkha' or the spinning wheel realised 26,000 pounds.
Kishore had earlier written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil to stop auction of Gandhiji's belongings in the UK.
Kishore had said that he had spoken to Anna Hazare over the phone and asked for the latter's support to stop the auction. According to him, Hazare had also expressed support for the cause and said he would work for it.
In his letter written earlier to President Pratibha Patil, Kishore had threatened to return his Padma Shri if steps were not initiated immediately to stop the auction.
The noted Hindi writer was awarded Padma Shri in 2007 for his notable work in the field of literature and education. He had chronicled Gandhiji's struggles in South Africa in his book 'Pahla Girmitiya (The First Indentured Labour)'.
(With Additional Inputs from PTI)
Comments
0 comment