FROM BAPU‘S HANDS: BAPU KA AASHIRWAD - GANDHI‘S ROSARY, PRAYER POUCHES AND LETTERS OF BLESSING
A devotional rosary of 108 beads with two khadi prayer pouches, personally gifted by Mahatma Gandhi to Anand T Hingorani, accompanied by an autograph letter from Gandhi referencing the rosary itself. Sevagram Ashram, India, February 1945.
Comprising a red khadi drawstring pouch embroidered in yellow thread with a Hindi inscription reading approximately “Bapu ka Aashirwad”, additionally bearing the Sevagram and dated manuscript inscription “10/2/1945”; an off-white khadi drawstring pouch bearing devotional manuscript inscriptions in black ink, including “Om” and “Hey Ram”; a rosary of 108 beads strung in looped devotional form; together with:
(i) autograph letter signed by Mahatma Gandhi to Anand T Hingorani dated 19 February 1945, written in Hindi in pencil on reused paper, concluding with the assurance: “Go to Karachi as early as possible. You will have it”, identified within the Gandhi–Hingorani archive as relating to the rosary itself; and
(ii) autograph postcard signed by Mahatma Gandhi to Mahadev A. Hingorani dated 20 February 1945, referring to a photograph upon which Gandhi had written his blessing and encouraging the reading of Jap Sahib.
Rosary length: 16 in (40.64 cm)
Red pouch: 6.25 x 5.75 in (15.87 x 14.60 cm)
Off-white pouch: 5 x 4.75 in (12.7 x 12.06 cm)
The accompanying letters are published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 85, Letter Nos. 684 and related correspondence of 19 February 1945.
"You Will Have It"
The present lot belongs to the most private sphere of Gandhian life. Unlike speeches, publications or political correspondence, these objects were intended for prayer, remembrance and inward discipline. Comprising a rosary, two khadi prayer pouches and accompanying correspondence, the ensemble offers a rare insight into the devotional practices that sustained Gandhi's ethical and spiritual life.
At its centre is a rosary of 108 beads, the sacred number traditionally associated with prayer, meditation and the repetition of the Divine Name. For Gandhi, prayer was never a ceremonial observance but a daily discipline inseparable from Truth, self-restraint, service and non-violence. The repetition of Ramanama, collective prayer meetings and personal devotion formed the spiritual foundation of his pursuit of self-mastery.
The accompanying khadi pouches deepen the significance of the ensemble. One bears the embroidered inscription "Bapu ka Aashirwad", together with a Sevagram notation and date, while the other carries devotional invocations including "Om" and "Hey Ram". Executed in khadi—the material most closely associated with Gandhi's ideals of Swadeshi and ethical labour—they unite devotional practice with the wider moral philosophy of the freedom movement.
The ensemble is further distinguished by two provenance letters preserved within the Gandhi–Hingorani archive. On 19 February 1945, Gandhi wrote to Anand Hingorani regarding his health and proposed return to Karachi, concluding with the brief but significant assurance:
The letter reads:
February 19, 1945
CHI. ANAND,
The Sindhi friends who have come here, have you met them? They are husband and wife.
Have you brought coconuts with you? That is why I thought that this thing (nature cure treatment) cannot be had at every place. But fresh coconuts, fresh bananas, pindolas, and turai – it would be good if you could get these. And along with these, you should take four ounces of milk. I well understand this opposition (to drinking milk).
If it were possible for me, I would go and settle down there (in Prakriti Ashram, Bhimavaram), because what he (Rajuji) says there is much substance in it. Of course it is difficult (to give up milk), but it is true.
Go to Karachi as early as possible. You will have it
BAPU
Within the archive, this statement is understood to refer to Gandhi's rosary, providing a rare documentary record of its transfer to Anand Hingorani.
A second autograph letter, addressed to Mahadev A Hingorani on 20 February 1945, reads:
February 20, 1945
CHI. MAHADEV,
I was glad to read your letter. There are some mistakes in it. Never mind. It is not "Priksha" but "Pariksha" and not "Sihat" but "Sehat". It is good to read Jap Saheb at night. I have seen your photograph. I wrote my blessing on it too.
[PS] Your legs have no muscles. Do some exercise. You seem to be weak.
Blessings from
BAPU
Although written in response to Mahadev Hingorani's photograph, Gandhi's closing blessing acquires particular resonance alongside the embroidered inscription "Bapu ka Aashirwad" on the accompanying khadi pouch.
The rosary, prayer pouches and letters form a documented chain of gift, blessing and provenance. They reveal Gandhi as a spiritual guide, corresponding directly with the Hingorani family and extending his blessings through both word and object.
Preserved within the Hingorani archive for more than eight decades, the ensemble offers an unusually intimate glimpse into the devotional disciplines that sustained Gandhi's public life. Few surviving Gandhian artefacts unite personal objects with contemporary documentary evidence so closely, preserving both the material record of spiritual practice and the relationship through which these objects were entrusted to one of Gandhi's closest associates.
This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as a reference for the condition of each lot.
A devotional rosary of 108 beads with two khadi prayer pouches, personally gifted by Mahatma Gandhi to Anand T Hingorani, accompanied by an autograph letter from Gandhi referencing the rosary itself. Sevagram Ashram, India, February 1945.
Comprising a red khadi drawstring pouch embroidered in yellow thread with a Hindi inscription reading approximately “Bapu ka Aashirwad”, additionally bearing the Sevagram and dated manuscript inscription “10/2/1945”; an off-white khadi drawstring pouch bearing devotional manuscript inscriptions in black ink, including “Om” and “Hey Ram”; a rosary of 108 beads strung in looped devotional form; together with:
(i) autograph letter signed by Mahatma Gandhi to Anand T Hingorani dated 19 February 1945, written in Hindi in pencil on reused paper, concluding with the assurance: “Go to Karachi as early as possible. You will have it”, identified within the Gandhi–Hingorani archive as relating to the rosary itself; and
(ii) autograph postcard signed by Mahatma Gandhi to Mahadev A. Hingorani dated 20 February 1945, referring to a photograph upon which Gandhi had written his blessing and encouraging the reading of Jap Sahib.
Rosary length: 16 in (40.64 cm)
Red pouch: 6.25 x 5.75 in (15.87 x 14.60 cm)
Off-white pouch: 5 x 4.75 in (12.7 x 12.06 cm)
The accompanying letters are published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 85, Letter Nos. 684 and related correspondence of 19 February 1945.
"You Will Have It"
The present lot belongs to the most private sphere of Gandhian life. Unlike speeches, publications or political correspondence, these objects were intended for prayer, remembrance and inward discipline. Comprising a rosary, two khadi prayer pouches and accompanying correspondence, the ensemble offers a rare insight into the devotional practices that sustained Gandhi's ethical and spiritual life.
At its centre is a rosary of 108 beads, the sacred number traditionally associated with prayer, meditation and the repetition of the Divine Name. For Gandhi, prayer was never a ceremonial observance but a daily discipline inseparable from Truth, self-restraint, service and non-violence. The repetition of Ramanama, collective prayer meetings and personal devotion formed the spiritual foundation of his pursuit of self-mastery.
The accompanying khadi pouches deepen the significance of the ensemble. One bears the embroidered inscription "Bapu ka Aashirwad", together with a Sevagram notation and date, while the other carries devotional invocations including "Om" and "Hey Ram". Executed in khadi—the material most closely associated with Gandhi's ideals of Swadeshi and ethical labour—they unite devotional practice with the wider moral philosophy of the freedom movement.
The ensemble is further distinguished by two provenance letters preserved within the Gandhi–Hingorani archive. On 19 February 1945, Gandhi wrote to Anand Hingorani regarding his health and proposed return to Karachi, concluding with the brief but significant assurance:
The letter reads:
February 19, 1945
CHI. ANAND,
The Sindhi friends who have come here, have you met them? They are husband and wife.
Have you brought coconuts with you? That is why I thought that this thing (nature cure treatment) cannot be had at every place. But fresh coconuts, fresh bananas, pindolas, and turai – it would be good if you could get these. And along with these, you should take four ounces of milk. I well understand this opposition (to drinking milk).
If it were possible for me, I would go and settle down there (in Prakriti Ashram, Bhimavaram), because what he (Rajuji) says there is much substance in it. Of course it is difficult (to give up milk), but it is true.
Go to Karachi as early as possible. You will have it
BAPU
Within the archive, this statement is understood to refer to Gandhi's rosary, providing a rare documentary record of its transfer to Anand Hingorani.
A second autograph letter, addressed to Mahadev A Hingorani on 20 February 1945, reads:
February 20, 1945
CHI. MAHADEV,
I was glad to read your letter. There are some mistakes in it. Never mind. It is not "Priksha" but "Pariksha" and not "Sihat" but "Sehat". It is good to read Jap Saheb at night. I have seen your photograph. I wrote my blessing on it too.
[PS] Your legs have no muscles. Do some exercise. You seem to be weak.
Blessings from
BAPU
Although written in response to Mahadev Hingorani's photograph, Gandhi's closing blessing acquires particular resonance alongside the embroidered inscription "Bapu ka Aashirwad" on the accompanying khadi pouch.
The rosary, prayer pouches and letters form a documented chain of gift, blessing and provenance. They reveal Gandhi as a spiritual guide, corresponding directly with the Hingorani family and extending his blessings through both word and object.
Preserved within the Hingorani archive for more than eight decades, the ensemble offers an unusually intimate glimpse into the devotional disciplines that sustained Gandhi's public life. Few surviving Gandhian artefacts unite personal objects with contemporary documentary evidence so closely, preserving both the material record of spiritual practice and the relationship through which these objects were entrusted to one of Gandhi's closest associates.
This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as a reference for the condition of each lot.