All things old and beautiful...

Unique Hobbies

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but 19-year-old Rijutha Jaganathan’s curiosity only led her to open the ‘Pandora’s Box’, lying in the attic of her house.

Unlike the popular Greek myth, out of which emerged the evils of the world, this box contained her grandmother’s old brass and copper utensils and other items, in all shapes and sizes. Rijutha, needless to say, has been looking back ever since!

     
A student of St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, Rijutha recollects, “I found my grandmother’s old box when my house was being renovated.

The wooden box was 60-year-old and had some oddly-shaped brass vessels, copper water pots, tall brass lota (spherical water vessel), tiffin-boxes, pots and plates. Another object which fascinated me was a bowl held up by three scorpions,” she informs.

Each of these come with some interesting trivia attached to it, along with unexpected details.

“The chombu (vessel), shaped in the form of an opening lotus that I found, was used in the olden times while travelling. People carried water or milk in it. It comes with a thread-cap and a handle.

I also found a brass idli-steamer and some rice-serving plates. One half of the plate had holes in it. There were also a dozen small copper vessels in the box,” she says
This was her bridge to the past.

As the collection kept growing, she received more such treasures from friends and relatives. “My uncle gave me a gangala, a brass vessel, used to save water. It is big and comes up till the waist.

I also found a copper vessel, which looked like an upturned hat. It can hold three litres of water. In those days, children used to take bath in those. Later on, it was used to mix hot and cold water,” she explains.

Rijutha also has a 70-year-old idol, which is beautifully carved, and a cast iron orulu (grinding stone) to pound spices. A friend had gifted a kerosene lamp, which is 40-year-old. Jaadis (jars), which are used to store pickle, made of a thick variety of porcelain, and a stone to grind wheat and rice into flour are some of the unmistakably beautiful pieces.

“Collecting old things, somehow, takes me closer to my grandparents who couldn’t spend much time with me,” she says. “I have preserved my grandfather’s spectacles and watch. And his licence plate from those times, which is a brass badge that needs to be tied on the arm. I use his scorpion ashtray as a candle stand now,” she adds.

“I am always interested in what our ancestors have used. I collect many such things while travelling to small villages. I like to remain connected to my roots. And collecting these items makes me feel Indian. It is a reminder of our heritage.”

It’s hard to miss the large hande, which was used to cook rice for a family of about 30 members. Apart from that, she also has old photographs, some gold coins of the British era and two coins made of stone.

“Most people consider such items as rubbish and pile them up carelessly in attics and lumber rooms. When I politely ask them to give me the old things in their house, which they don’t want, they easily oblige.

My collection is growing steadily. I also have two brass lamps, cow bells, puja vessels and many such objects which make their way to me from all kinds of acquaintances,” Rijutha says.

“It also makes me appreciate the rich legacy all of us
inherit in the form of such articles. If we don’t take care of our heritage, who will?” she asks.