Kerala   

Blend of modernity and antiquity

HERITAGE VALUE: The drawing room of ‘Quintessence’ has an array of antique objects that are no longer used in contemporary houses.

KANNUR: It seems a perfect blend of modernity and antiquity. The drawing room of ‘Quintessence,’ a house in the posh Cantonment area of Payyambalam in Kannur, looks like a heritage museum of sorts.

Its display of antiques, once integral parts of traditional ‘tharavadus’ (homesteads), lend an old-world charm to an interior far from traditional.

These antiques were passed down four or five generations, before they became superfluous with the collapse of the joint family system and the advent of nuclear families.

“The items I have salvaged are only a small portion of what my ancestral family used to have,” says P.C. Chandralekha, owner of ‘Quintessence.’

When her ancestral house was partitioned, no one wanted these objects which have no practical value, she says.

The antiques have been meticulously preserved by her. The utensils especially give a glimpse of what kitchens in old ‘tharavadus’ used to be.

Contemporary kitchens with their emphasis on gadgets and accessories may have rendered the old brass or bronze vessels irrelevant. Ms. Chandralekha, however, discovered their antique value and asked for them. Among the objects displayed are an ‘uruli,’ a large bronze vessel used for cooking grains and a ‘valuruli,’ a brass frying pan with a long handle.

They appear to be from a distant past, but she recalls her grandmother using them. A huge ‘Cheena bharani’ (jar) made of porcelain and china clay is kept in a corner of the drawing room. The jar was once used to store mango pickle in her ‘tharavadu, she says.’

Difficult to miss is an old winding gramophone that still works.

Also exhibited on each step of the staircase in the house are objects no longer used in contemporary homes. They include ‘para’ (a pot for measuring grains), ‘ottu kinnam’ (eating bowls made of bronze), ‘kolambi’ (spittoon) and ‘kindi’ (water container with a sprouting nozzle), ‘muruda’ (small water pot) and a few brass and bronze ‘chembu’ (utensils for cooking rice). Other exhibits include a pair of Theyyam ‘chilambu’ in brass (anklets worn by Theyyam performers), ‘Vettila chellam’ (betal box) and an old hanging ‘nilavilakku.’

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Kerala headed for power crisis
Prospectus makes State service must
Kollam to have three MPs
Tsunami rehabilitation
Tamil, Hindi movies top the chart
Peoplespeak
Artwork
Going in hook, line, and sinker
A feast for the senses
Two-day conference on health economics
Fete draws dedicated crowd
UDF holds collectorate march
Honour
On a campaign
Poultry from other States to be screened
Hospitality’s big show in Kochi
Categorized list of exhibitors
Literary events, competitions to mark Thunchan Festival
Blend of modernity and antiquity
EU may impose curbs on Indian spices imports
Kodiyeri: Central University for north Malabar
Government insensitive to price rise, says Chandy
Chandy flays liquor policy
Milk shortage a rights issue: SHRC

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu