Collecting stories through a treasure trove of carpets

A variety of priceless rugs ranging from those made in various Kurdish enclaves in the Middle East to exquisite ones woven by the Lur tribe of Iran are the pride of carpet collector Danny Mehra.
Mehra is presently hosting an exhibition of 83 carpets collected over a period of 25 years.
"I call these carpets perfectly imperfect. I always look for nuances that make the weaver's signature come through like the soul which kind of comes through the weaving. So these carpets are not perfectly balance or evenly woven they are abstract, nomadic, tribal carpets," says Mehra.
The 11 day show "Carpet Stories" is ongoing at the India International Centre here.

Bengaluru-based Mehra says his love for carpets blossomed after his marriage when he was gifted two carpets and that set off his collecting saga.
"I consider myself to be a nut as carpet collection is a rare hobby. I think a lot of men when they reach middle age they start thinking about or buy a red sports car but I started buying carpets and I have been collecting for about 25 years now," says Mehra.

The collection, he says is special as every tribal carpet
tells a visual story, full of icons and expressions. Flowers, plants, birds, animals, human figures, mythical objects, shamanistic symbols attract the audiences through an art form that one may not have explored before.

"The single common theme that runs through each carpet reflects my search for "perfect imperfection". I look for visually striking features that set each of my carpets apart from those made for purely commercial purpose. The symbols and the icons used in these carpets have a meaning for the tribes that wove them," says Mehra.
On the display are carpets for all kinds of use and purpose was displayed. Some were made to be turned into a bag, others are prayer carpets, others were used on camel or horse backs, sleeping bags, for marriages or for royalty of the tribe.

"The most expensive piece here amounting to about Rs.12 lakhs was made for the royalty. It is from North East Asia but with a Shahsavan influence. One of my personal favourite in this exhibition is from one of the tribes in Karakalpakstan, which lies in the north of Uzbekistan. The piece is very rare piece and is made by a very small tribe there. These tribes were hardly into weaving. The carpet belongs to mid to late 19th century.Its very difficult to find such a piece in such good condition. I got it at an auction," says Mehra.
The collection comprises tribal carpets dating from the mid-19th to mid-20th century and includes works by many ethnic groups including the Qashqai, Luri, Bakhtiari, Khamseh, Afshar, Shahsavan, Turkic, Baluch, Turkmen and Kurds among others.