At Moore Market, 14-year-old Gayathri S, is in awe of the previous grandfather clock on show. Double her top, the clock’s towering presence and ticking fingers are detached to the tides of time. Diagonally reverse, 24-year-old Saamarth Agarwal, has his head buried in a tray of British-era cash on show at one of many many classic outlets on the Moore market. “When I feel gloomy, I come here to buy books and look for new articles on display at the vintage shops. I feel that they have a soul in them which is worth preserving,’’ says the graphic designer, as he bargains with the shopkeeper.
Scattering the past, line by line, on his cabinets of ‘curiosity’, is Lateef Mohamad — owner of The Old Curiosity Shop on Anna Salai. What attracts customers here is the shop’s old-world environs — songs of Iqbal quiver in the waning evening light, lyrical ruminations by Rumi, Khalil Gibran and other anonymous poets are handwritten around the shop. Urdu couplet- quoting Lateef and his help Bashir — Hamlet and Horatio of the 80-year-old shop, don’t just sell their wares but also nostalgia and the aesthetic of antiquated years.
From Kashmiri walnut woodwork tables, scrolls of old orders passed by the Indian Supreme Court, knives, daggers, vintage cameras, vinyl records and an enviable collection of Tamil and English comics are only a handful of collectibles on display. Holding a wedding portrait of King Charles and Princess Diana from 1981, 18-year-old Ruchi Karnani exclaims, “The shop transports me to a different era. Every time I am here, I lose track of time”
Thirty six-year-old vintage hunter Prathap Ravishankar frequents smaller, lesser-known vintage outlets within the metropolis. “Jamal’s Corner Shop in Pudupet and Puratana in Maduravoyal are treasure troves,” he says. Of late, he has acquired a colonial period advantageous bone crockery set, a desk with a Belgian glass swivel mirror, an previous portray with Mughal period inscriptions and a folding chair from his search across the metropolis.
“Further away, in Spencer’s Plaza is Collector’s Paradise. Shopkeeper Inder Jain, is seated underneath a vintage Dutch clock. The clock has a replica of the Greek Titan Atlas, situated on its crown with the Dutch phrase Nu Elck Syn Sin (to each his own) inscribed on it. “A lot of young adults come to our shop looking for old HMT watches,” says Inder. But what intrigues his clients essentially the most are cash which he claims are from the Chola dynasty. Although the articles don’t include any proof of authenticity – goodwill – an unwritten certificates of high quality helps the store thrive.
As extra younger folks search for artefacts, their search is emblematic of a continuous dialog between the previous and the current. Prathap believes, “What intrigues us is the amount of character each object brings to the room.” With time, nostalgia continues to open its doorways and home windows to a rustic with no current, solely the previous.
Source: www.thehindu.com