PM Mementos e-auction: 1,498 gifts to go under the hammer from September 17

The ministry of culture will launch the eighth edition of the PM Mementos e-auction on September 17, putting up 1,498 gifts received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for public bidding.

The collection includes 50 objects identified as “hero objects” this year, with a silver memento of Lord Ram from Karnataka carrying the highest base price of ₹13.50 lakh. It is followed by a silver replica of the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam priced at ₹9 lakh, a framed Gond art painting titled “Tree of Life” priced at ₹7.50 lakh, a Jagannath Parivar piece mounted on a chariot with a base price of ₹6 lakh, and a 99.99% fine gold-plated framed Radha Krishna artwork priced at ₹5.40 lakh.

Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday said the initiative reflected the Prime Minister’s personal approach to public service. “The Prime Minister has never worked in self interest. He truly believes in and embodies the fact that what the country has given him is not his to keep but has to be returned to people,” Shekhawat said.

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The items have been sourced from across the country. States such as West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Bihar and Odisha account for the larger share of the collection, the ministry said. It added that the mementos represent India’s “artistic traditions, traditional craftsmanship, cultural practices, spiritual traditions and sporting achievements.”

According to figures shared by the ministry in Parliament, the auction, first held in January 2019, has since raised more than ₹52 crore. The single largest sale remains Neeraj Chopra’s Tokyo Olympics javelin, which fetched ₹1.5 crore in 2021.

As with previous editions, proceeds from the sale will go to the Namami Gange Programme, the Centre’s flagship initiative for the rejuvenation and conservation of the Ganga.

An exhibition of the mementos will be held at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) ahead of the e-auction.