Govt to take decision on auction of Tagore`s works in London

New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) In the wake of demands from
various quarters to stop the auction of rare works of Nobel
laureate Rabindranath Tagore in London, the government of
India is holding consultations on how to go about the issue.
Rare works of Tagore, including a portrait of a woman and
a woman with a fan, will come under the hammer at London’s
leading auction house Sotheby’s on June 15.
"The matter has been brought to the government's notice.
We are aware that some paintings of Tagore are going to be
auctioned in London next month. The matter is under
consideration," a senior official of the Culture Ministry told
PTI.
Asked whether the government was contemplating any steps
to stop the auction and bring back the paintings, the official
said since the news of Tagore's paintings going to be
auctioned have come to light only yesterday a decision on this
will be taken soon.
The issue was raised at a meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh today to discuss the celebrations of
Tagore's 150th anniversary.
However, it was not clear what the response of the Prime
Minister was.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has
already written to the Prime Minister requesting him to take
measures to bring to India 12 Tagore paintings set to be
auctioned by Sotheby's.
"It has recently come to my notice that Tagore's paintings
presented to Leonard Elmhirst by the poet himself have been
planned to be put on auction by Sotheby's at London on June
15, 2010. This news deeply disturbed us. These Elmhirst
collections of Gurudev's paintings are priceless treasures of
Indian culture," the chief minister said in the letter.
The auction also comes at a time when the government is
planning to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore
in a big way.
The Prime Minister has appointed two committees to
consider policies and lay down guidelines for the
celebrations. Singh himself heads one committee.
When Mahatma Gandhi's personal belongings, including the
iconic round glasses, went under the hammer at an auction
house in New York, the Indian Government tried to stop the
auction through the Indian Consulate there.
The Government also worked on other options, including the
legal route, to stop the auction.
The Delhi High Court had also stayed the auction, but it
went on in New York and the articles were bought by
industrialist Vijay Mallya. PTI