The prized mementos and gifts received by all Presidents of India (past and present) are going under the hammer on Monday.
Hosting the auction at Rashtrapati Bhavan, this event will see 250 varied items go up for a bid ranging from books, tribal jewellery to furniture, idols and sculptures.
According to Indian Express, the auction will be held on the E-Upahaar portal from August 5-26, the base prices of the articles range from Rs 2,700 to Rs 4 lakh. The proceeds will be donated to help children, Rashtrapati Bhavan officials said.
Among the array of items is a six model of ships and submarines. This model was gifted to President Droupadi Murmu by the Andaman Nicobar Command in February. Encased in an acrylic glass cover, the bidding for this 15-kg model will start at base price of Rs 7,500.
However, it is shell craft painting of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose gifted to Murmu which is the priciest item in the lot. Weighing over 14 kg, this painting commemorates the anniversary of the momentous hoisting of the Tricolour by Bose in Port Blair. The bidding for this model will start at Rs 4.02 lakh.
Gifted by Vice Admiral R B Pandit to the President, a replica of Karnataka’s Hoysaleshwara Temple will also go under the hammer for Rs 1.5 lakh.
On the other hand, a round marble plate gifted to former President Partibha Patil is up for grabs at the base price of Rs 6,000. Another gift received by former President Pranab Mukherjee by the Jain community of Haryana is also being auctioned. A rice padi (metal pot), capable of holding around 1.5 kg of rice is available at Rs 3,500 onwards.
However, the lowest base price of an item is Rs 2,700. This price is allotted to a trophy received by Mukherjee which features a crystal globe.
A pair of deer received by former President Dr APJ Adbul Kalam is also up for auction. This deer is made from thread and cardboard and presented to him during the National Convention of Small, Agro, and Rural Industries.
Jaapi, a traditional conical multi coloured headgear, received by former President Ram Nath Kovind, from Assam, is being auctioned from Rs 3,000 onwards and a metal pen holder is being auctioned at a base price of Rs 2,800, reports Indian Express.