All for a cause

Early 1950s santoor from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

Rahul Bose seems to have his hands full these days and it's all been for a good cause. His NGO, The Foundation, founded in 2006, recently announced an auction titled, The Idea of India. The items will be on display at Pundole's.

The showcase includes 11 pieces donated by 11 legendary artistes. These articles will be auctioned on February 19 at the same venue.

Early 1950s santoor from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

The star attractions of the auction include Making of a Maestro, (early 1950s) Santoor from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, and a Rarest of the Rare flute (1955) from Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Talking about the santoor, Sharma says, "I was touring with this santoor around the world for many years, till it developed some cracks somewhere around the 1980s. I played another instrument but this one was still there with me because I developed a deep relationship with it. After a lot of research, this santoor was restored to its original condition. When Rahul approached me with this project it touched me so deeply that I thought this was the most appropriate one to donate since it has been with me through such a long journey. I hope it stays with somebody who is interested in this cause and also loves music."

Original manuscript of A Flight of Pigeons (1969) from Ruskin Bond

Chaurasia too has a nostalgic tale to share about his prized flute. "Every single flute I have ever played is invaluable to me. I have never donated any of my instruments in the past, and this is a first. I have performed with this flute all over the world for over 60 years. I don't remember if it is my first or second flute but it is definitely one of my early instruments since 1950s. It is almost impossible for me to express how invaluable this instrument is to me since there are such strong vibrations attached to it," shares the master flautist.

Author Ruskin Bond who has donated the original, signed manuscript of A Flight of Pigeons (1969) has fond memories too. "I have donated the original typed manuscript of my novel A Flight of Pigeons that I wrote in the late '60s based on actual events. It is about the experiences of a 14-year-old girl who was caught up in the events of the 1857 Uprising. Since, it's a story that is secular in nature, as is The Foundation, I thought it would be most appropriate to donate this novel. I hope it will be of interest to collectors, and will help raise money," shared the octogenarian author.

Some of the other items part of the auction include, Three hand-drawn originals Four Decades of the Common Man (1970-2010) by RK Laxman, Olympic bronze medal- winning kit that includes a vest, shorts, shoes (2012) from MC Mary Kom, signed memorabilia from Saina Nehwal and artworks from Jitish Kalat, Jogen Chowdhury, Atul Dodiya and Manjit Bajwa.
The object that created the strongest buzz, however, was a guitar signed by all members of the cult British Rock band, Coldplay, comprising Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion that was reported about in the Daily Dossier last week.

Till: February 18 (items on display), 11 am to 6 pm
At: Pundole's, Tanna House, 11/A Nathalal Parekh Marg, Colaba.
Call: 22020645