Crossing continents for the love of lore

Dileep Govindaraju has always been drawn to utilitarian pieces of art with stories attached to them instead of mere decorative ones.

Dileep Govindaraju gave up a plush job in Australia, where he lived for more than a decade, and returned to Bengaluru to do what he likes doing best: collecting antiques.

He has always been drawn to utilitarian pieces of art with stories attached to them instead of mere decorative ones. 

“We humans are good at telling stories, which is what even our ancestors tried to achieve. I look for a piece of art that has a history and story behind it,” Govindaraju told DH.

He started Parampare in Bengaluru to showcase the work of artists from Mysuru, Belur, Halebidu, Chikkamagaluru, Hampi, Kanakapura, and Ramanagara.

“Recently, we collected around 20 terracotta pots from across Karnataka. Traditionally used to store grains and ward off insects, these pots were buried in the ground above eye level and were rat-proof,” he explained. He said that they were made locally and were not less than four feet tall, making them a simple yet effective solution to storage problems. The artwork is directly sourced from the artists, which eliminates the problem of middlemen.

He also recently collected several Tanjore Paintings, connected with the Royal Court. “As the younger generation has moved on to smaller places, they do not have the space for such large, in-depth paintings. Some of these are given away without understanding their value,” he added.