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Journalism of Courage
quot;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 Mumbai 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.
Among the furniture in her house, Moon Moon8217;s favourite piece is none other than her marriage bed 8212; a Tudor bed, heavy and solid. quot;I like to go to old shops and look for old furniture and old jewellery. I sit and have tea with the shopkeepers and talk to them for hours.quot;
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 to them in your life in some way and only then collect.quot;
