MUMBAI.- Prinseps are set to host their first ever No Reserve auction, with a selection of meticulously acquired books, newsletters and documents by luminaries of the Indian freedom struggle, which defined the history of the subcontinent in the first half of the 20th century. The auction highlights include important texts such as Jawaharlal Nehru’s autobiography ​Towards Freedom ​ and his memoirs ​The Discovery of India (pub. 1946) written when he was imprisoned during the Indian National Movement and the complete volumes of Mahatma Gandhi’s weekly newsletter ​Harijan Sevak. The auction will also carry the first edition of the 70 volume series titled ​Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi.    

In keeping with the auction house's commitment to detailed research, the auction has been put together through consignments with strong provenances and historical significance, with some of the books being as rare as being unavailable in international libraries. Other auction lots of note include Gandhi’s ​Satyagraha in South Africa (pub.1928), two volumes of Bankim Chandra Sen’s magazine ​Desh (pub. 1941 and 1948) and ​The Calcutta Municipal Gazette: 23rd Anniversary and Independence Commemoration Number ​(pub. December 1947) from Rathindranath Tagore and Mira Chatterjee’s collection. Collectables up for auction include a calendar dedicated to Subhash Chandra Bose by Shiri Talashilkar created in 1945 and two Cawnpore Prints of Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Sarojini Naidu (pictured left) by Shyam Sundar Lal.    

Timed to go live around India’s Republic Day, the auction is a thoughtful celebration of the country’s legacy of extraordinary political leadership and the journey to Indian Independence, documented with meticulous detail in these seminal literary works.     

The online auction will go live on 20th January at 10 am (IST), closing on 26th January at 7 pm (IST). Select lots are on view at the Taj Art Gallery till 12 January 2020, 11 am - 6 pm.