Owner8217;s pride

Acquiring objets d'art was never a deliberate exercise, it came to me naturally like the act of walking or talking,quot; says the gregar...

Acquiring objets d8217;art was never a deliberate exercise, it came to me naturally like the act of walking or talking,quot; says the gregarious film actress, Moon Moon Sen, in her typical singsong voice, reminiscing about the origins of her addiction. quot;Even as a child, I accompanied my father to all the auction houses in Calcutta. The first piece that I remember bringing home is a Persian suit of armor, which I still have.quot;

Sitting in a chiffon sari, in her Bombay flat, she is surrounded with paintings by old masters of the Bengal school of art, portraits and photographs of her Cooch Behar ancestors-in-law, pictures and sketches of her mother 8212; the legendary star of the Bengali screen Suchitra Sen. Old glass bottles, owls, tropical birds and frogs, papier-mache, avant-garde art masks and busts from the art districts of London, silk rugs and tapestries 8212; even on the ceiling! The house is overflowing with barely any room to walk.

Moon Moon started by speaking of just two pieces in her collection which were her favorites, but kept adding to the list. The first in the long list is a leather bound, first edition book Geetanjali by Rabindra Nath Tagore. With an introduction by Yates, personally autographed and gifted by Tagore himself to her father-in-law, the former Maharaja of Cooch Behar. quot;He went to Shantiniketan to study, fell in love with a beautiful princess from Tripura and they ran away to Paris to get married. This was Tagore8217;s present to them. It is so precious that it is in my locker at Calcutta with my jewelry.quot;

An old album of photographs of a young Maharani of Cooch Behar, is a prized collector8217;s item, with a fascinating story behind them. quot;Suniti Devi, my husband8217;s great, great grandmother, was the daughter of Keshav Chandra Sen. He was responsible for a lot of social reform, including one that Indian women below the age of 16 should not get married. He himself quietly got his daughter married to the Maharaja of Cooch Behar while she was not yet 15!quot; There are historically significant photographs, those that would interest any designer, of the Brahma Samaj women dressed in saris and lace of Queen Victoria8217;s time.

As a child, Moon learnt drawing from Jamini Roy 8212; one of India8217;s greatest artists 8212; and, quite obviously, he holds a very special place in her heart, as do the few works she acquired from him directly. A very poignant Ganesh Pyne one of three very old works of his that hang on the walls is a painting of a puppet, a cherished reminder of Bengal. A Paresh Maity ceramic plate is a memorable painting, presented to her by the artist at the quot;gentle insistencequot; of Harsh Goenka because she had so longed for it, but could not afford it. Manu Parekh, Gopal Ghose, Paritosh Sen, Ram Kinkar, Jogen Choudhary all form part of this varied and valuable art collection, ranging from tiny sketches to vibrant pastels.

Over the years she has collected many portraits of the immediate family of the Cooch Behar royalty of yore, some with the family crest on a brass plate. quot;The Cooch Behar Palace has been taken over by INTUC. They are restoring it and would like to buy back the original belongings of the palace. Some portraits I will allow them to copy, and some of the black and white paintings I will frame and gift them.quot;

Among the furniture in her house, Moon Moon8217;s favourite piece is none other than her marriage bed a Tudor bed, heavy and solid. quot;like to go to old shops and look for old furniture and old jewelry. I sit and have tea with the shopkeepers and talk to them for hours.quot;

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Moon Moon attributes her knowledge and eye for collecting to these interludes. quot;I tell my children, whenever you travel find things you like, read about them, ask yourself would you like to have a link with them in your life in some way and only then collect.quot;