Dr. Hema Sathish’s grand bungalow opens to an antique room, replete with brassware, rosewood furniture and an assortment of heirloom art pieces arranged artistically. Over the years, Hema and her husband Dr. Sathish Devadoss have shared their interest in antiques, picking up things on their trips to various places. “I have always had a fascination for old things. As a kid growing up in Mumbai, where everything was ultra-modern, I used to love the ornate doors, pillars, the wooden tables and antique windows during my visits to the South,” says Hema.
“One of my initial collections was a Tanjore painting,” she points to a thick wooden framed painting decorating a wall in the living room. Depicting eight forms of Lord Ganesha, the painting is entirely made with vegetable dyes and studded with precious stones. “It must be at least 75 years old and I bought it from an antique store in Ooty,” says Hema, who heads the Devadoss Multi-speciality hospital. “Art experts visiting our home always notice the unique painting style, the thickness of the gold sheets used and the patterns carved on them. They are unlike what you see in Tanjore paintings in the recent times.”
Antiques tell tales unheard and take us into a world unknown, says Hema. “I get transported to a different time and space when in the antique room. I smell history in all these pieces. Moreover, antiques never go out of fashion.” A pair of intricately carved brass conches, a Panchaloha idol of Lord Vinayaka, a pair of brass elephants, a wooden jewellery box and a range of brass utensils including urulis and kasi paanais and idols of Gods and Goddesses form her collection. “Each of the pieces has interesting tales behind. For instance, an art historian told that the pair of carved conches depict the Dasavatharam and Mahisha Vadan episodes. The conches feature a labyrinth of characters, all tiny and extremely intricate.” Another brass conch Hema picked up from a dusty Kovil kadai in Madurai is designed to be placed on a leaf-shaped stand. “The shopkeeper told that it’s a very old piece. It’s a unique conch as it rotates on a hinge and can be separated from the stand.”
Hema also takes an extra effort to beautifully showcase or display her collections instead of locking them up in attics. She has converted the Kasi paanai to a flower pot and an age-old brass nandi sits pretty on a rather baroque pedestal made of rosewood. Tiny brass idols of Kamadhenu and Ganesha are placed neatly in the inbuilt showcase of a handcrafted wall mirror with a Byzantine wooden frame. “I quite like to fuse antiques and play with the shapes and designs. I picked up the mirror in a damaged condition from a shop in Bangalore. I loved its uneven hand-cut edges. The imperfection is the beauty of the piece.”
Adding richness to the collection is the heirloom furniture that Hema inherited from her in-laws. “Try out sitting on this chair,” she points to the two-seater rosewood chair popularly known as ‘Bombay Sofa’ by her in-laws. Hailing from Virudhunagar, her husband’s family had trading connections in Bombay from where they imported exquisite furniture. “The chair must be a century old and is characterised by a slight delicate curvature to lend the optimum comfort. We tried to make a similar piece but the carpenters couldn’t make it. Such was the expertise of the craftsman which is sadly lost these days.” Another unique item is an antique telephone with a dial and receiver. “I bought the phone from a shop in Chennai. The best part is that it’s functional and I have a landline connection to the phone. I enjoy talking over it.”
Another highlight of Hema’s antique room is the coffee table made out of an old door. “The door is unusually small with a period design on it. I bought from a store in Bangalore that excels in fusing and converting antiques into avant-garde furniture and artefacts. I waited for six months for the parts to be gathered and fused,” says Hema, who shops antiques on the go. “I don’t go in search of particular objects but rummage through shops and markets and buy things I like, put them together and enjoy the classy look and feel. I find the Karaikudi antique market to be a nice place.”
(My Collection is a fortnightly column. We invite readers to tell us about their personal and rare collectables. E-mail maduraimetroplus@thehindu.co.in)
