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Mahatma Gandhi's last will and testament has sold at auction for £55,000.-BBC


Gandhi will
Mahatma Gandhi's will and sandals auctioned in Ludlow
The two-page document written in Gujarati, was one of 50 items of Gandhi memorabilia, including a blood sample and his sandals up for sale.
The guide price for the will, signed by Gandhi in his Gujarati signature, was between £30,000 and £40,000.
His sandals sold for £19,000 at Ludlow Racecourse in Shropshire, £9,000 more than their asking price.
The sample of blood on a microscope slide which he gave to a friend after an appendix operation in the 1920s, failed to sell, auctioneers Mullock's said.

Analysis

image of Bob Hockenhull Bob Hockenhull Reporter, Midlands Today
The auction saw the sale of many of Gandhi's simple possessions including his shawl and sandals.
There were only about 30 bidders at Ludlow Racecourse but the reality was there were scores of other people around the world watching the sale live on the internet - poised to bid thousands of pounds for the artefacts.
Some items, including Gandhi's will, had guide prices of £30,000 to £40,000.
A number of TV cameras were present to record the sale.
Among them was the The Sikh Channel which was also interested in the sale of many rare photographs depicting key events in the religion's history.
A "rare British Parliament paper declaring Gandhi a terrorist" from 1932, which had a guide price of between £200 and £300, went for £260.
A printed illustration showing Gandhi shaking hands with George V sold for £25.
Other lots include Gandhi's bed linen and his prayer beads.
A spokesman for the auctioneers said they were "very pleased" with how the sale went.
The items were sold alongside other important and historical documents.
However, a version of the Declaration of Irish Independence issued during the 1916 Easter Rising - considered to be the only copy in the world - failed to sell.
Last year a pair of Gandhi's glasses with a guide price of £10,000 sold for £34,000 at the racecourse.
At numerous Gandhi auctions around the world over the past decade, the Indian government has insisted it should have the right of first refusal because the artefacts are a national treasure.
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