Durga Prasad Ummat, Bauji as he was fondly known, was born on 25th April, 1896. After my father passed in 2015 there was lot of paperwork to be attended to. It was on one such day, while rummaging through documents that I came across some documents and letters with Bauji’s name.
It is an incredible thing for an inanimate object like a dupatta to reveal so much about a family’s history. To become the fountainhead of memory, that leads to the unearthing of so many long-forgotten tales. Part of bhabhji’s trousseau from 91 years ago, it is still used today.
My grandmother gauged that this box was bought somewhere around the year 1940 in Benaras. My great-grandma used the box until her death and then, her son [and my maternal grandfather], gifted the box to his wife, my grandmother, to use it as her jewellery box.
This necklace, called a janjeer in Kumaon, weighs 350 gms and is nearly 70 years old. Presented originally to my grandmother during her wedding in the 1950s, it was passed down to my mother in 1979, and to me in 2011.
The surface of the pendant is smooth, as is the case with Jade. This smoothness gives it an ethereal quality, and touching it, you do feel a sense of calm. You will see some textures and markings in the light, which have appeared over the years, as it was not stored properly. The gold etching on the pendant is delicate, and transports you to a different era.
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