Distillery owner saves Gandhi belongings for India

Published on Friday 6 March 2009 21:02

THE flamboyant Indian tycoon who owns the Whyte & Mackay distillery has many reasons to be cheerful.

Vijay Mallya, the billionaire owner of Kingfisher Airlines known as the "Bangalore Branson", has just become saviour of some of his country's most treasured possessions.

He paid $1.8 million (about 1.2 million) for the distinctive steel-rimmed spectacles that belonged to Mahatma Gandhi, as well as leather sandals, a pocket watch, a bowl and a plate owned by the revered Indian independence leader.

Mr Mallya has offered to donate the spectacles and other treasures to the Indian government so they can be put on public display in New Delhi.

In doing so he quelled a storm that had been brewing over the auction of the items.

New Delhi High Court last week issued an injunction against the sale of Gandhi's possessions, following a petition by a public trust started by Gandhi in 1929, staking its claim over all his personal items.

It emerged yesterday that Mr Mallya had the backing of the Indian government, although officials would not confirm whether they had contributed financially to the bid.

Before the sale, Ambika Soni, the minister for culture, said that the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, had instructed her not to let a third party buy the items.

An executive of Mr Mallya's UB Group, which bought Whyte & Mackay in May 2007, placed the winning bid at an auction in New York.