An autographed letter from Mahatma Gandhi has sold today (December 12) with excellent results as part of Sotheby's English Literature, Children's Books and Illustrations auction in London.
 Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison, just days after this letter was written |
The letter sold for �49,250 ($79,489) in the early stages of the sale, making a 603.5% increase on its �5,000-7,000 valuation. It is addressed to Dwijendranath Tagore, elder brother of India's most famous poet, Rabindranath Tagore.
The letter sees Gandhi writing of his calm during a crucial moment in India's struggle for independence. He writes from jail, where he had been sent three days earlier following the arrest at his ashram.
Dated March 13, 1922, Gandhi's Great Trial would follow on March 18, seeing the leader convicted of sedition and sentenced to six years in prison. However, the calm response in India to the arrest was "a cause of great joy" to Gandhi, which is reflected in his letter.
A huge archive of previously unseen letters from Gandhi was purchased by the Indian government in July, after being withdrawn from another Sotheby's auction.
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