England will auction of three controversial letters that highlight Mahatma Gandhi's deep concerns over the behavior of his eldest son, Harilal, next week, Press Trust of India reported.
The letters, written by Gandhi in June 1935, are being predicted to be sold for 55,000 pounds, Mullock's Auctioneers, based in Shropshire county, said.
"You should know that your problem has become much more difficult for me than even our national freedom," said Gandhi, in one of the letters in reference to allegations of inappropriate behavior by Harilal.
"Manu is telling me number of dangerous things about you."
"She says that you had raped her even before she was eight years and she was so much hurt that medical treatment was also to be taken," the letter reads, in reference to Harilal's daughter Manu who had come to stay with her grandfather at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
"The letters are written in Gujarati and are in good condition. These have come via descent from a branch of Gandhi's family to the present vendor. As far as we are aware, they have never before been seen in public and as such, they provide remarkable new information on the troubled relationship Gandhi had with his son," Mullock's said in a statement.
Like his father, Harilal had wished to travel to England to become a barrister. But Gandhi had opposed the move, staunchly believing that Western education would not be helpful in the struggle against the British Raj.
This led to Harilal renouncing all family ties in 1911 and his troubled relationship with his father continued throughout his life, PTI reported.
"Please let me have the pure truth, please tell me if still you are interested in alcohol and debauchery. I wish that you better die rather than resort to alcohol in any manner," adds another autographed letter.
The three letters will be part of Mullock's Historical Documents Sale at Ludlow Racecourse on May 22.
The earliest letters date back to 1920, but others are from the 1930s and the majority dating from the crucial period of 1938-1944 in the Indian national movement.
With most of the letters written in Gujarati, a few are in English as well.
"In remarkably good condition in spite of the fact that Gandhi tended to use the cheapest paper and materials for his correspondence, we believe that these letters have never before been seen publicly and therefore they provide a highly important primary source of information on Gandhi and the struggle for Indian independence," the auction house said.
