India, Oct. 12 -- What if a gift could keep giving? Could it have a second life, an afterlife, long after the wrapping paper has been discarded?

I found an interesting answer at the PM Mementos E-Auction exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art recently. The gifts and mementos received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi include paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, religious objects and memorabilia from across India. But what interested me was not simply what they were, but what happens to them next.

They are documented, displayed and auctioned. The proceeds go towards Namami Gange. This year, 1,498 mementos have been put up for auction. Previous editions have raised more than '50 crore. "Apne uphaaron ka bhi upyog," Culture Minister...