Important Notice

The Spirit of the Ashram

This signed photograph captures Mahatma Gandhi seated during what appears to be an open-air prayer or discussion gathering, surrounded by associates and followers beneath a canopy of trees. The informal setting indicates Gandhi's preference for conducting prayer meetings, conversations, and community interactions in simple communal spaces rather than formal institutional settings. Composed with Gandhi... The Spirit of the Ashram

This signed photograph captures Mahatma Gandhi seated during what appears to be an open-air prayer or discussion gathering, surrounded by associates and followers beneath a canopy of trees. The informal setting indicates Gandhi's preference for conducting prayer meetings, conversations, and community interactions in simple communal spaces rather than formal institutional settings. Composed with Gandhi seated in profile in the foreground and groups of followers gathered quietly beyond him, the photograph evokes the atmosphere of collective engagement that characterised many of his public assemblies during the final decades of the independence movement.

The present photograph bears the handwritten Hindi inscription “Bapu ke Ashirvad” (“Blessings from Bapu”), inscribed by Gandhi as a personal presentation to Anand T Hingorani. More than a formal autograph, the inscription reflects the warmth and familiarity that characterised Gandhi’s longstanding relationship with the Hingorani family.

Photographs from the Hingorani Collection possess particular historical importance owing to their uninterrupted family provenance and direct personal association with Gandhi. Anand T Hingorani occupied a uniquely intimate position within Gandhi’s circle – as a participant in the freedom movement, editor of Harijan, and lifelong preserver of Gandhian writings and ideals. Retained by the family for generations, the collection offers an unusually personal visual record of Gandhi’s daily life beyond formal state portraiture.

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.

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