DHARMAPURI: In a quiet lane of Gandhinagar, Dharmapuri, stands a house that feels more like a time capsule than a home. A 68-year old antiquarian has created a space at his residence where history breathes through replicas of ancient wonders. From a gleaming Rosetta Stone to a carefully crafted Terracotta Army, each piece in the house-turned-museum speaks of a lifelong fascination with civilisations long gone.
For S Selvam Sidhaiyan, obsession with art, history and culture of ancient civilisations did not happen overnight. As a 12-year-old, Selvam attended his first history class, expecting it to be another routine lesson filled with dates and old facts. But when his teacher spoke of ancient civilisations — of towering temples, forgotten scripts, and the mysteries buried beneath centuries of sand, he sat spellbound. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be part of that discovery — to touch the past with his bare hands.
Selvam, too captivated with the history of Egyptian civilisation, went on to complete his diploma in Egyptology from Cairo University. Now, he spends his days surrounded by thousands of artefacts, at his private gallery, the ‘Sen Museum’, teaching students and visitors about the world’s oldest cultures. The space blurs the line between craftsmanship and obsession, offering visitors a glimpse of the past—reimagined through his eyes.
He has also built a library which offers over 5,200 books, including a wide range on ancient history. Speaking about his museum, Selvam says, “My journey began in one of my visits to the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad more than two decades ago, where my friend inspired me to start one of my own. It was in 2019 when I was constructing my house. I invested some more money and built a museum on the top floor. The museum ignited the spirit inside me to collect replicas of precious stones, postcards, old coins, and various types of fonts used in the early stages of the printing press. I now own over 3,000 artefacts.”
Selvam, a businessman who used to supply laboratory equipment, across various schools in Tamil Nadu, now spends most of his retired life teaching students about ancient history. His visitors include history enthusiasts, students, and teachers from various schools. Speaking about the aim of the museum, Selvam says, “I want everyone to know about history. I own antiques from a printing press used a century ago and dozens of cameras and cinema projectors. I also own a collection of rare conch, corals, and brass equipment used by our predecessors. My museum aims to contribute to the preservation of history.”
Talking about one of his prized possessions, a replica of a Rosetta stone, Selvam says, “The French discovered a stone in Rosetta, a tributary of the Nile, with three languages etched on it: hieroglyphics, demotic, and ancient Greek. Today, the original Rosetta stone is placed in the British Museum. When I went to the museum in 2017, I took pictures of it. I returned home and hired local sculptors to make a replica of it which took me a month.” SS Reshmavardhini, curator of the Sen Museum, said, “Our collection grows every year. While most of these artefacts are indeed replicas, it will cost over Rs 2 crore if sold. However, the wealth of knowledge within these artefacts surpasses their monetary value.”
Another intriguing piece that Selvam owns is a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby showing an experiment with a bird in the air pump. The device in question, likely an air pump, was used to create a vacuum in a glass vessel, and by placing a live bird in the vessel, it was possible to show that removing air caused the creature to lose consciousness and possibly die of suffocation. The picture has 10 people showing various emotions of fascination, confusion, anxiety, and even terror.
SS Hemavardhini, designer of the museum, says, “We are currently working on new pieces, one being the statue of the founders of Rome, the Romulus and Remus brothers. The story involves them being abandoned as infants, miraculously saved and fed by a she-wolf, and later being raised by a shepherd. We are recreating the statue of the wolf feeding two baby boys. We are also trying to recreate an idol of Arthareshwaran. The original piece is in the Tanjore museum.”
Talking about the museum, V Gunasekaran, a history enthusiast and numismatist, says, “History plays a vital role in understanding the glorious lives of our ancestors and helps us draw strength for the present. Collecting rare and ancient artefacts enriches our knowledge and connects us to our cultural roots. As a result, museums like this are crucial, as they provide diverse multicultural insights.”
(Edited by Srestha Choudhury)