PM gifts: Model statue of Netaji, Ganesha statue to be auctioned

NEW DELHI: A model statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose made by sculptor Arun Yogiraj and sporting memorabilia of the Commonwealth Games medallists gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the around 1,200 items that will be auctioned starting Saturday.

Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said at a press conference here on Friday that a statue of Lord Ganesha, models of the upcoming Ram temple at Ayodhya and the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, will also be part of the e-auction of gifts and mementoes given to prime minister, proceeds of which will go to the Namami Gange Mission.

Yogiraj, who sculpted the monolithic 28-ft statue of Netaji which was recently unveiled by Modi at India Gate, had in April gifted a model statue of Bose.

"Glad to have met @yogiraj_arun today. Grateful to him for sharing this exceptional sculpture of Netaji Bose," Modi had tweeted on April 5.

The young artist, who had also sculpted the statue of Adi Shankaracharya which was installed at Kedarnath in November 2021, had shared images of the black model statue of Netaji after meeting the prime minister in April this year.

"Got the opportunity to present 2ft monolithic stone model of Subhas Chandra Bose to @narendramodi Ji.., " he had tweeted.

Reddy, while interacting with reporters, said, sporting memorabilia gifted to the prime minister by several sportspersons will be part of the auction. A ministry official said 25 new sporting memorabilia will be part of the auction.

"These sportspersons include CWG 2022 medallists, those who took part in the Paralympic Games 2022 and Thomas Cup 2022. Many sportspersons who brought laurels for India at the latest Commonwealth Games have gifted the sporting equipment they had played with to win medals. These will be part of the auction," Reddy said.

The CWG 2022 was held in Birmingham, the UK, where many Indian sportspersons shone with their performances.

The auction will be conducted through web portal pmmementos.gov.in, and will conclude on October 2.

Some of the gifts are on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art.