KALLABBE(KUMTA): Ever wondered how our ancestors lived in an era where there was no plastic or how household articles looked like when use of metals was not prevalent?
To get a feel of the bygone era, meet this octagenarian former banker of Kallabbe village in Kumta, who has, over the years, collected a number of antique pieces which throw light on what our forefathers used in their daily life.
Chidanand Ganapati Hegde's collection ranges from vessels to weighing scale, sieve to wooden ploughs and from hanging baskets to masala boxes. These items are made of only wood, bamboo and creepers. Some of them are hundreds of years old. Not a single piece of metal is used in the items which were once part and parcel of life.
A post graduate in Sanskrit, Hegde who worked as a field executive of a cooperative bank in Kumta, wanted to collect antique pieces. His sheer interest coupled with contribution from his fellow villagers and friends have resulted in a collection of hundreds of items which would take visitors to the throwback time.Hegde draws his inspiration from Manjusha Museum of Dharmasthala which he visited about 25 years ago. He got to see old paintings, temple chariots, vintage cars and many others. “There are many antique pieces in the museum. There were a few articles at my house too.
So I had decided to collect such articles used by ancestors,” he says.He collected articles from fellow villagers, relatives and friends. He has not spent any money on these. As his collection grew in numbers, people began to appreciate his efforts and contributed articles of interest found in their homes.Apart from the wooden articles which reflect the local culture, Hegde has also collected Gandhi-style round spectacles with a silver frame, old pens, Italian-made torches and other objects.
Since 2014, he has been exhibiting his collection at Krishi Mela in Kumta. He also has taken part in similar events in Honnavar taluk. He keeps the articles in a room on the first floor of his house. He plans to construct a small room near his house to exhibit his antiques.Though maintenance is tough, he manages it with the support of his family. Dusting them frequently is what he does.
Vinayak Bhat, a college student, says he had never seen such articles in his life before. He wonders how people used to live without metal. He also feels ancestors were eco-friendly and they made use of decomposable materials abundantly available then.Narayan Subbaraya Hegde, a businessman from Baragadde village in Kumta, has contributed eight antique articles to Chidanand Hegde's collection. He says he met Hegde at an exhibition and got to know about his hobby.
“During the renovation of my 125-year-old house, I found some old articles. I remembered Chidanand and gave them to him,” he recalls.He says, “Today’s generation does not know about many old articles made of wood. Such collections and exhibitions will help youngsters understand how our ancestors used to make things with locally available resources.”
NOT FOR SALE
Many people, interested in antique pieces, asked Chidanand to hand over his collection to them, but he did not. “A few people offered thousands of rupees. Some people, including Alva’s, asked them for their museums. But I did not give any of my collection. My collection is of our region and it shows the culture of the land. I want to preserve them. I have a plan to construct a small structure at my village for a permanent exhibition of the antique articles” he says.
COINS & STAMPS
Apart from collecting antique household articles, Chidanand Hegde has philatelic and numismatic hobbies too. He has a good collection of coins ranging from the fourth century to the recently released Rs 100 coins. He displayed the coins and stamps at more than 40 exhibitions. He is often invited by schools and colleges to educate students on coins in circulation thousands of years ago.
AWARDS
Chidanand Hegde is enthusiastic about agriculture and grows areca. His name finds mention in Limca Book of Records and Asia Book of Records for growing large areca. He was felicitated with ‘Havyaka Krishi Ratna’ and many awards for farming.