Traditional perfumers believe that an attar not stored in the kuppi was ‘essentially ruined’. The leather would absorb any extra moisture, allowing water to evaporate and only attar in its truest scent, to remain.
My paternal grandfather, Dadaji, Bhanu Pratap Singh, purchased this mantle clock from London back in 1959. It is a mantle alarm clock manufactured by Kienzle Uhren, one of Germany’s oldest watchmakers.
“We still have its shoe from its breaking in”, continued Nana ji. Suddenly, I stopped laughing and tried to absorb what that meant. An old horseshoe was brought out and passed around the room. It was made of solid iron, and I could still see the ridges on the curved edge. The metal felt cold in my hands while the realisation sank in that I was holding an object which was more than a century old.
When I first came across my mother’s wedding saree, I told her if I ever get married that is what I would wear. She would laugh this off telling me when the time came (and she really hoped it did!) I’d go running to my friends or a fancy boutique and leave her out of this big decision.
My grandparents reached Delhi separately with their families in 1947, but their love story had begun long before that. Along with their stories, I have inherited a simple ring that spoke volumes of their love for each other.
My earliest memory of these idols is waking up to pitaji, my paternal grandfather praying to them every morning. The sound of his voice while he tended to these idols was so emotional and loving, that it haunts me till date. Almost as though it was a very private and sacred conversation between them.
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