We all have come across collectors of stamps and coins. But, isn’t it rare to find a tribal carpet collector? Meet Danny Mehra, ‘an accidental collector’, who loves to collect carpets! “Hobby is an understatement. It is madness for me,” says Danny.
Danny and his wife Renuka are exhibiting 83 rare tribal carpets at the Main Gallery of the India International Centre. Called Carpet Stories, the exhibits come from the private collection of Danny, and is a small part of his enormous assortment. The exhibition is organised by Ali Nasir, a Ph.D. scholar who specialises in Indo-Islamic carpet conservation.
The woollen carpets on show are from the late 19th and early 20th Century and includes works of many ethnic groups including the Qashqai, Luri, Bakhtiari, Khamseh, Afshar, Shahsavan, Turkic, Baluch, Turkmen, Christians and Kurds. According to Danny each carpet is made by a single weaver with designs that have been orally passed on through generations. For Danny, the historical importance hardly matters. “Every tribal carpet is a reflection of the weaver’s personal or romantic life which is a mystery. Our interpretations may or may not differ. The fact that the weaver cannot repeat his/her design adds a unique beauty to the object of art,” says Danny. Every tribal carpet is a visual story, full of icons and expressions. Flowers, plants, birds, animals. human figures, mythical objects and shamanistic symbols, all find a space in the stories that unravel on the carpets.
His collection includes carpets from Persia (Iran), Anatolia (Turkey), the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Dagestan), Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan) and various Kurdish enclaves.
Danny blames his mother-in-law for this 20-year-old obsession as she gifted the couple two carpets on their wedding day. He has even named his dogs after carpets. One is called Luri and the other is named Tulu.. Now, it’s all about hunting for rare and more unusual ones. “Out of 5,000 carpets, I could choose the one that’s not in my collection.” He does not disclose the approximate number in his collection which now makes us more inquisitive to have a peep into his treasure trove. “People often ask me why carpets? I feel it is very irrational to explain. To me it’s like asking why you eat. I have a helpless attraction towards tribal carpets,” he gushes.
Danny deciphers a new meaning every time he sees a carpet. As a collector, he has zero interest in its functional value. It’s the aesthetic value that matters to him. “A carpet’s composition, its visual design should talk to me. That’s exactly when I know I want it.”
Explaining the conservation process, he says, “When I get a carpet, I dust it with a rug beater and soak it in a mild detergent for 24 hours. When the layer of dust comes out, the wool’s colour simply glows…it gives me instant gratification.” He then makes a few knots in terms of repairs keeping the ends and edges secure, giving the carpet a new life.
Danny says that he would eventually sell them to other collectors because he feels that keeping it in a museum wouldn’t give it the value they deserve. “I would rather give it to collectors who would respect and value them for what they are. But, I want them to sell slowly as I want to enjoy this hobby,” sums up Danny adding his rate of input is going to be more than his rate of output.
(The exhibition is on till December 28)
