Gandhi's Letters to Grieving Pal Just Sold for Record Amount

A stash of Mahatma Gandhi's private thoughts just set a record in Mumbai. A collection of 688 handwritten notes by the independence leader fetched $1.69 million at auction, which auction house Saffronart says is the highest price ever paid for an Indian historical document under the hammer, per the BBC. The reflections—on truth, nonviolence, and self-discipline—were written between 1944 and 1946 to Anand T. Hingorani after the death of his wife, Vidya, and later brought together in a book titled A Thought for the Day.

The sale was part of an 86-lot auction of items preserved by Hingorani's family, including Gandhi's portable spinning wheel, letters, photos, and manuscripts that track both India's freedom struggle and the men's long friendship. "What makes the collection particularly unusual: It allows Gandhi to be seen not only as a political leader, but also as someone offering quiet advice to a grieving friend," notes the Times of India. The buyer is undisclosed, but the notes will stay in India.