The relic hunter

Hotelier Vithal Kamat opens his treasure chest of ANTIQUES for all to see, and enjoy.

In an otherwise colourless lane near Mumbai's Santacruz airport sits a rare display of philanthropy in the arts. Vithal Kamat, managing director, Orchid Hotel, has parted with a slice of his private collection of Indian antique objects for public viewing.

The location isn't the most approachable and Kamat's lament is that the "authorities" haven't understood the value in his requests for a more publicly accessible one.

Nonetheless Aai, as the museum has been named in memory of Kamat's mother, houses an elegant assortment of what were once commonplace, everyday objects that now serve as reminders of workmanship lost.

Reminders that there was once a time when functionality and aesthetics went hand in hand, and you could be middle-class and still have your house filled with beautiful, albeit utilitarian objects. A time before plastic and steel.

There are filigreed jewellery boxes, oil containers and paandans (paan containers). There are nut crackers whose provenance can be determined by whether the arms are decorated with glass and inlay (Kutch) or human heads with crescent shaped blades (Orissa).

The collection "" Kamat reiterates it is only 5 percent of his entire collection "" is actually significant enough to earn some curatorial intervention.

Although same-purpose objects are encased together in glass cabinets, the collection could benefit from some thematic grouping: items of worship, personal care, kitchenware and so on.

Some objects of personal care reveal amusing levels of self-indulgence like the decorated brass vajaris (foot scrubber) that conceal a cavity that contains tiny metal pieces that produce musical sounds as you cleanse your feet. Or the combs that have cavities with perfectly dispersed holes that dispense oil evenly as you run one through your hair.

There are detailed descriptions attached to the items but absolutely no dates. Probably for the same reason that explains why Kamat doesn't wish to make the valuations known. "Right now, I need trustees to whom I can entrust a collection that has been 46 years in the making," says Kamat.

An otherwise innocuous looking little Ladoo Gopal (baby Krishna) that sits on Kamat's desk was what initiated Kamat into India's heritage of brass workmanship. His mother gave it to him when he was six years old; he guards it zealously.

What followed was years of scouring markets, pursuing leads of relics languishing with recently-bankrupt gentry and some generous donations.

Kamat tells the tale of the generous Sindhi businessman who had a substantial collection of objects of art but could only donate 15 because his domestic help had stolen the rest.

Kamat tracked down the servant and persuaded him to hand over the stolen goods in exchange for a job for his son. "I am passionate about protecting heritage for generations to come," Kamat explains.

For now, Aai may not be in the league of private collections like Sarabhai's Calico Museum of Textiles in Ahmedabad or the Kelkar Museum in Pune with its 15,000 objects, but that's only because Kamat has chosen to start small.

He'd also prefer to distribute his collection across locations, so the next two locations for his hotels in Pune and Nagpur will have their own versions of Aai. "Aai is a gift to the city of Mumbai," says Kamat. It's only unfortunate the tradition of arts philanthropy doesn't find more takers.

Aai, Centre for the Study of Social Change, M N Roy Human Development Campus, Plot No 6, Building No 326, Santacruz (E). Opens in May