Museum finds a home

Dr Tejus Naik converted his house into a museum to display his collection of antiques; the curios will be open for public viewing during Heritage Week

Doorway to heaven: This 350-yr-old intricately carved darwaza depicts Lord Krishna perched on a tree. The scene represents Sita vastra-haran

This collection of antiques is as big as a museum’s. And it’s the handiwork of just one man, Dr Tejus Naik, who spent 15 long years gathering every little curio he could lay his hands on one by one. Now, he is opening up his collection at Hindu Colony in Navrangpura for public viewing during the Heritage Week.

“I started the activity as a hobby. But over the years, it has grown so much. I don’t wish to spread knowledge, just want people to see them for their beauty. The Heritage Week is an ideal occasion to invite the public,” said Naik.

Naik inaugurated the museum on January 26, 2006. His mother Dr Pushpa Naik, 88, said, “Tejus’ habit of dumping the curios at home drove me mad. Later, he bought a couple of cupboards to display his collection. Gradually, he added lightings and drew up presentations. This is how the museum got started.”

Naik’s collection of paintings, Ganeshas and a variety of curios mainly embellish the winding staircase that leads up to the second floor of his house. It showcases replicas of some of India’s well-known painters, besides a host of Ganesh idols made of material like gold, brass, bamboo, lead, coconut, fibre, ceramic, zinc and fluorescent tube.

“I have collected things that my generation may be familiar with, but the next generation might miss out on,” he says. Things like models and paintings of horses from around the world, more than 50 types of cameras, among which one is more than a 100 years old make for a pretty sight. There is also a variety of bells, ancient and the modern. This includes an elephant’s bell, a cow bell and a Tibetan bell, too.

But the pride of place belongs to Naik’s maternal grandfather Gulzarilal Nanda’s original certificate of Bharat Ratna, his Padma Vibhushan medal, stamps and books brought out in his name.

Also of wide interest are figurines of Brahma, Annapurna, Vishupaksh of Hampi, Garuda, Jagannath and many others. The large variety of antique household items like telephones, charcoal and steam irons, flower vases, ink pots etc. take you back in time. Besides this, rare items like fossils of soil, wood, fish and dinosaur teeth dating back to 100-150 million years give the place a mystique that’s unlike a house.

His numerous coins, including funny money that has printing or minting flaws, are a treasure in themselves. By virtue of that, Naik is president of Gujarat Coins Society.

Among the ancient manuscripts and legal documents are a ‘firman’ and a 60-foot horoscope of one particular individual — both 100 years old.

— Dr Tejus Naik’s ‘home museum’ at Hindu Colony in Navrangpura is open for Amdavadis during Heritage Week beginning November 23. Time: 2 pm to 5 pm.

	No Horsing around: Dr Tejus Naik with his precious collection that includes models and paintings of horses from all around the world
	sign of times: Letters and autographs by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Vikram Sarabhai, APJ Abdul Kalam, Satyajit Ray, Umashankar Joshi, and Indira Gandhi find a place in Naik’s collection
	Bone up: These dinosaur fossils are 150 million years old. He bought these certified remains from Nature chain stores in the US
	Prized possession: The original Bharat Ratna medal and Padma Vibhushan medal awarded to Naik’s maternal grandfather Gulzarilal Nanda by the then President K R Narayanan
	Hotshot: Of the 50 cameras that Naik owns, this 100-year-old camera is a major attraction. While some of these cameras have been gifted to him by family and friends, he collected most by sifting through countless junk at various flea markets

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