甘地遺物拍賣惹爭議

被尊奉為“印度國父”的圣雄甘地一生為印度的獨立事業殫精竭慮，除了隨身衣物之外，沒有為自己的后代留下任何財產。近來，他的遺物在紐約安蒂古倫拍賣行被拍賣，該消息在印度社會引起了軒然大波。

據悉，本次拍賣的遺物是甘地當年作為禮物送給外國友人的，后來輾轉成為美國人詹姆斯·奧蒂斯的個人藏品。由于這些遺物是通過合法途徑流傳到境外收藏者手中，印度政府不能對這些遺物的歸屬提出任何異議，印度法院也沒有足夠的法律依據來制止外國拍賣公司的商業行為。但是，為讓甘地遺物回歸祖國，印度政府和民眾一起進行了不懈的努力。

最終，印度富商維賈伊·馬爾雅以180萬美元的高價成功拍下了圣雄甘地的5件遺物，并宣布將其捐獻給祖國。

Mahatma Gandhi’s 2)meager possessions were to finally return home after a3)flamboyant Indian 4)tycoon paid 1.8 million dollars on March 5 to win a dramatic auction in New York.

Cheers erupted at 5)Antiquorum Auctioneers when the hammer came down on the huge bid by liquor and airline 6)baron Vijay Mallya. “Basically he was bidding for the country，” said Tony Bedi， who acted on behalf of Mallya to 7)secure the revered independence leader’s round glasses， worn leather sandals， pocket watch， plate and bowl.

India had 8)bitterly opposed the auction， insisting that Gandhi’s belongings were part of the country’s national heritage and that their sale was an insult to the 9)memory of a man who rejected material wealth. The owner， California-based 10)pacifist James Otis， insisted the auction would proceed. With less than an hour to go， he astonished journalists outside the auction house by announcing that “11)in light of the controversy” he too wanted the sale stopped.

But he was too late and Antiquorum went ahead. A 12)fanfare of soft music and a 13)slide show of black and white Gandhi photos introduced the bitterly controversial 14)lot to a packed room. Then Indian businessmen—who had seen both their government and Otis himself fail to stop the sale—15)leapt in， bidding frantically to prevent any foreigner from winning. Within seconds， Antiquorum’s opening price of 20，000 to 30，000 dollars for the five items 16)rocketed to half a million dollars， and then kept climbing rapidly. Asked afterward if the possessions of a man who embraced poverty were really worth 1.8 million dollars， white 17)turbaned Bedi laughed: “I think they’re worth six million dollars. ”

There was still one more twist before Gandhi’s passionate followers could 18)breathe easy. Otis had declared the auction to be illegal and his lawyer had warned of 19)legal action if Antiquorum went ahead. Antiquorum declared a two-week delay in delivering the goods to the auction’s highest bidder to 20)address legal questions. Bedi acknowledged the 21)delicate situation， saying: “Obviously there are some restrictions at the moment 22)pending resolution whether this auction was legal.”

Otis explained through his lawyer that his last-minute opposition to the auction had been because he suddenly feared that someone unsuitable， like a foreign dictator， would win. Mallya’s promise to 23)repatriate the items resolved that worry.

“Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the nation， and there could not be anything more important historically or culturally than his belongings，” and their return home， Mr. Mallya said in a telephone interview from France. And he said that he planned to give the items to the government of India.

Mr. Mallya， the chairman of the 24)conglomerate 25)UB Group， seems an unlikely 26)go-between for property belonging to the 27)teetotaling， 28)chastity-preaching spiritual father of independent India. The self-proclaimed “King of Good Times” favors cowboy hats， imported cigars and old 29)Scotch. He has developed the company he inherited from his father with marketing skills and an appetite for bold，30)leveraged deals.

Critics say Gandhi would not be pleased that his belongings were Mr. Mallya’s most recent acquisition. Gandhi would “commit suicide if he were to see this all from the sky，” said Chandra Prasad， a writer who campaigns for more rights for India’s lowest class. “Throughout his life he fought against consumption of liquor and now a liquor baron is buying his stuff.”

Mr. Mallya， whose 31)net worth was estimated at $390 million last year by 32)Forbes magazine， collects artifacts and relics， as well as modern Indian art. In 2003， he bought the sword of 33)Tipu Sultan in a London auction. “I’ve always believed such heritage items should come back to India，” Mr. Mallya said.

Gandhi’s own relatives do not seem to be concerned about the purchase. “Mr. Vijaya Mallya is a very respectable businessman，” said Tushar Gandhi， the Mahatma’s great-grandson， leader of the Gandhi Foundation and a lecturer on nonviolence. “What he is doing is legitimate business，” he said. “He is not selling illicit liquor.”

Mr. Mallya has “saved India’s prestige，” Mr. Gandhi said. If a foreigner had bought the items， it “would have been a 34)slap on India’s face.” Not surprisingly， Mr. Mallya agreed. “I’m still an Indian， right?” he said. “Whatever I am today I owe to my country， and my business is 35)anchored in India.”

“Gandhi was a tolerant man who had room for all kinds of people among his friends，” said Gurcharan Das， an author who writes about changing India. Gandhi may have “found Vijay Mallya’s high-consumption lifestyle not to his taste，” Mr. Das said， “but he would have admired his entrepreneurial energy.”

三月五日，在紐約一場富有戲劇性的拍賣會上，隨著一位派頭十足的印度企業界大亨以180萬美元的出價競拍成功，圣雄甘地的幾件遺物最終將回到印度。

當拍賣錘最終敲定印度酒王和航空巨頭維賈伊·馬爾雅競拍成功時，紐約安蒂古倫拍賣行里爆發出一陣陣歡呼?！八揪褪窃跒橛《雀偱?。”馬爾雅的代理人托尼·貝迪說。他代表馬爾雅在拍賣會上競標，志在競得備受尊敬的印度獨立領袖甘地的遺物——一副圓框眼鏡、一雙舊的皮涼鞋、一只懷表和一副碗盤。

印度方面曾強烈地反對這次拍賣，并堅稱甘地的遺物是該國國家遺產的一部分，這種拍賣行為，對不屑物質財富的甘地的名聲是一種侮辱。……