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Steve Jobs’ letter on Kumbh Mela auctioned for $500k
A 1974 handwritten letter of Steve Jobs addressed to his school friends, shared plans to visit India for the Kumbh Mela.
Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple’s letter from 1974 / Website- bonhams.com
A rare handwritten letter by Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, revealing his intention to visit India for the Kumbh Mela as part of his spiritual journey was auctioned for over $500k (Rs 4 crore).
The 1974 letter, addressed to his high school friend Tim Brown, offers a unique insight into the Apple co-founder’s quest for deeper meaning during his youth.
The letter details Jobs’ plans to attend the major Hindu pilgrimage as he sought personal and spiritual growth.
In the letter he wrote, “I wish to go to India for the Kumba Mela, which starts in April.”
Written on Feb. 23, 1974, a day before his 19th birthday, the letter captures Jobs’ reflective state of mind. He describes his life on a farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains and his feelings about life’s constant changes. “I have loved and I have cried many times,” he wrote. “Somehow, though, beneath it all it doesn’t change—do you understand?”
Jobs was saving money for the trip while working at Atari, a video game company. Although he missed the Kumbh Mela that year, his journey to India profoundly impacted him. In April 1973, Jobs traveled to India, just missing the Kumbh Mela, but the experience proved to be deeply transformative. He later reflected, “Coming back to America was a bigger cultural shock than going to India. In the Indian countryside, people don’t rely on intellect like we do; they use their intuition, which is far more developed. Intuition, in my opinion, is more powerful than intellect, and it’s had a significant impact on my work.”
Though Jobs never got to attend the Kumbh Mela, his wife, Laurene Jobs, is currently in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, for the Mahakumbh Mela 2025.
During a ceremonial event, she was given the Hindu name "Kamala" and performed the ‘pattabhishek’ ritual for spiritual leader Vyasanand Giri Maharaj. Wearing a long white dress and an orange shawl, she participated in prayers.
This letter, one of the few Jobs ever wrote, was auctioned with its original envelope and is a rare artifact of his early years.
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