Heritage is to value objects and qualities and cultural traditions that have been passed down from previous generations. It could also be property that is inherited. In Sanskrit it is विरासत Virāsata, in Hindi it is known as परंपरा paranapara . In Bengali it is ঐতিহ্য Aitihya. The general belief when you think of conservation of heritage is to look outside your home. The crumbling terracotta temple, the preservation of a site. But never at home. How can Heritage reside at home ? However like Lakshmi it does. There is a saying that charity begins at home. And so does heritage. Heritage is your culture and the many Objects left behind by your ancestors.

1. a presentation on everyday objects in our home
by Prof. Aloke Kumar
at …… Oxford Book
on the invitation of
AISHEE : an NGO actively engaged in the documentation, preservation,
and conservation
Heritage at Home

2. Heritage is to value
objects and qualities and
cultural traditions that
have been passed down
from previous
generations. It could also
be property that is
inherited.
In Sanskrit it is विरासत
Virāsata, in Hindi it is
known as परंपरा
paranapara . In Bengali it
is ঐতিহ্য Aitihya.
Heritage at Home
What is Heritage?

3. The general belief
when you think of
conservation of
heritage is to look
outside your home.
The crumbling
terracotta temple,
the preservation of
a site. But never at
home.
Heritage at Home
Heritage is Not only preserving crumbling edifices.

4. How can Heritage
reside at home ?
However like Lakshmi
it does. There is a
saying that charity
begins at home. And
so does heritage.
Heritage is your
culture and the many
Objects left behind by
your ancestors.
Heritage at Home
Heritage is also preserving your culture as much as artifacts.

5. I am not talking about
the identifiable objects
like the furniture,
books and paintings.
My subject
encompasses objects
which we do not
identify as a part of our
heritage and culture.
Heritage at Home
Household Objects

6. Let us start at the very
beginning. Now that
you have sold your
ancestral house to the
property developer to
move to a South
facing 10th. Floor flat
may I ask you : Where
is the stone name
plate?
Heritage at Home
Marble Name Plates

7. I have saved mine But
like many of us the
family of U N Sen of
Suburban Hospital
Road did not. But the
family of National
Professor Satyandrath
Bose of Ishwar Mil
Lane Calcutta 6 ,did.
Heritage at Home
Your Lineage is your identity

8. Now let us see some of
the others. Our kitchen
utensils and eating
plates. রান্নার বাসন,
রন্ধনপাত্র, বাসনপত্র
have been replaced by
modern kitchen wares
and crockery. The old
bell metal ones being
carried in rickshaws to
be sold away to the
‘baswanwallah’.
Heritage at Home
Household Kitchen Utensils

9. But all of these are
hand crafted and
most of them are a
part of our heritage .
If you look around
your home, you will
find a number of
things used everyday
that represent the
heritage of Indian
crafts.
Heritage at Home
Household Kitchen Utensils

10. Here are some
utensils preserved by
a middle class family.
It contains rare
containers of Ganges
as well as Drinking
water. T here are
several water glasses
made of bell-metal
and one Flower
Vase.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Household Kitchen Utensils

11. This is not the case
with the utensils used
for Puja. Contrast to
the earlier instance the
Puja utensils are
preserved well. Is it
because the gods like
them ? Or we do not
want to displease
them by substituting
them.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Household Puja Utensils

12. One of the most prized
kitchen equipment was
the Mortar & Pestle or
Hamal Dista. Made of
iron to brass. Bell-Metal
to Marble it had a pride
of place usurped by the
modern kitchen
equipment like mixer
grinder. Most of them
have been relegated and
thrown out.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Household Kitchen Equipment

13. Here are some writing
equipments usually
found at home but
neglected. The one on
the left is an inkpot
with cover for the
quill.
Then there are the ink
pots and at the
bottom is a glue
bucket. In fact the ink
pot at the bottom has
the dried ink.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Writing Equipment

14. More near at home
we have given up our
fountain pens for the
ball points. Many a
dropper fill fountain is
lying at your home.
Make attempts to use
them. If not preserve
them. Pass on to your
next gen as fountain
pens give the best
handwriting.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Writing Equipment

15. Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Hand Written Letters
One of the fastest item
that evaporated from the
face of the planet, with e-
mails , hand written
letters. Completely
disappeared and is a rare
specie. Needs to be
protected. Frame family
letters and preserve
them. There is a
particular style of framing
these letters which I have
instituted and have
named it ‘sandwich
framing’.

16. With letters can reading
glasses be far behind ?
From Pince-nez to Rim
less . With Silver to
Wooden covers.
Covered with velvet . Or
leather cases. They are
a delight. Usually sold
at a pittance as the glass
power is of no use and
the frames give you very
little monetary return,
yet destroyed everyday.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Reading Glass

17. And off course while reading
the letters with that dainty
glass you need the paper
weights to keep them from
flying off. From brass to
glass: you have them all.
And they come in all shapes
and sizes. The common
once just a blotch of brass to
the coloured bubble glass. I
am sure you will find many
hidden in your old writing
tables.
Heritage at Home

18. With photographs being
digitalized old albums
are being discarded with
photographs. Do
digitalize for posterity
but preserve the
photographs and Album.
They are priceless.
Photographs of your
neighbours and that
shot of Calcutta from
your terrace.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Photo Album and Photographs

19. Most are being left under
the nearest Banyan tree
where there is a Shib
Mandir.These are priceless
Oleographs printed in
Germany or our very own
Chor Bagan in Chitpore.
These are printed in late
19th. and early 20th Century.
There are many which are
hand coloured. The image
of Swami Vivekananda is a
Chromo Lithograph Poster
printed in Chicago traded
by many for the laminated
one.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Old Prints of Gods,Goddess and Saints

20. Along with the prints
there are innumerable
porcelain idols of Gods
and Goddess in homes.
These came from
Dresden , Germany
around 1895 and were
bought by the upper
middle class
households. With the
lapse of time they have
been related to an
isolated place in homes
many of them sold
away.
Heritage at Home
Porcelain Gods and Goddess

21. There are number of
items in our household
related to Ladies
Vanity Ware which are
part of our old
tradition. The Silver
mounted comb, brush
and mirror. Then there
are the Attar bottles of
old . All very delicate
and need preservation.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Ladies Vanity

22. We all have old Sarees at
home. Benarasi, Jamdani.
Brocade. With Gold and
Silver embroidery. Inherited
from our mother and
grandmother. Most of these
are used for exchange of
kitchen utensils of Stainless
Steel or sold to the
‘pheriwallah’ shouting :
‘purano saree bikkiri ache’.
These are priceless and
worth preservation.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Sarees

23. Old watches and clocks
are in abundance at
our home. As your
father of the marriage
watch he received and
get it repaired and
oiled to wear it. Yes, off
course you have to
wind it everyday
without fail. Bit it is
worth it. As you raze
your hand all yes will
follow.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Watches and Clocks

24. Most Gold coins at home
are grabbed by the ladies
to remodel it into Jewelry.
The Silver still gets some
attention. The rest has no
value. Earlier there used to
be a plate where you
threw in coins which are
commemorative, rare and
fading. The art is lost along
with the preservation of
medals.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Old coins, medals and memorabilia.

25. Have you accidentally
broken one of the glass
lamp shades lately and
taken an identical to
Poddar Court Market to
buy another? You must
have received a shock. The
older glass lamp shades
have been replaced with
plastic ones. Glass lamp
shades are rare. Even if you
have one make
arrangement to preserve
and hang it .
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Glass Lamp Shades

26. Many Calcutta household
have old Gramophone and
records. With the world
going digital and first the
Walkman and then the
Mobile phones the way we
listened to music changed.
With this the record player
and the vinyl records
were stored first in the
back room and then sold
away. Many of them have
found their way to
collector’s home.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Gramophone and Records

27. Are you mad ? Asking me
to preserve old bottles.
They come in dime a dozen
and mother tells me to
throw them away. There
are many which are rare.
The first Coca Cola bottle
fetches you $2,40,000.
No I am not talking about
it. Simple old bottles left at
home by our ancestors.
With plastic making an
inroad make a collection of
them and keep them.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Old Bottles

28. Many of us had tin
toys. With the plastic
invasion this is long
gone and past.
Search your homes
and put them
together. That tin
soldier, The Fire
Engine and the Taxi.
They are a delight
and have become
collector’s item.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Tin Toys

29. The history of Pad Lock
dates back to 25–220 AD in
China since the late Eastern
Han Dynasty. The locks are
changing into cheaper
versions and digital. The
decorative lock is long lost.
Preserves old locks at your
home. I have seen some
astounding ones in Calcutta
ones , specially the brass
ones.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Lock and Key

30. Now don’t tell me to keep
one of these at home! Is
this what you are going to
tell me. Most of these iron
safe either the miniature or
the full fledged have been
melted for their iron. If you
have one think of restoring
and preserving one of
them. Much stronger than
the current ones and safer
than the digital. Not naming
any brands.
Heritage at Home
Iron Safe

31. Every other day an
Ezraj is destroyed.
An instrument of
antiquity which was
popular at one time
has become an
instrument of disuse.
With the
Harmonium gaining
ground many old
instruments are
finding their way to
the junk shop. From
Sitar to Ek tara.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Musical Instruments

32. The presentation does NOT
include the obvious which
are recognized as Heritage
and respected. These
include antique Books, Maps
and Prints. Furniture and
Fitting. Most household are
aware of these and try their
best to preserve or sell
them to collectors.
My father being an
antiquarian I have always
being aware of such
preservations.
Heritage at Home
Books,Maps and Prints

33. What am I saying ? To turn your homes
into museums? No. Try to preserve our
Heritage by identifying objects which
are lying in your home. If you find it of
interest club them thematically and
place them in a show case. If you are
not interested sell them to collectors
or if you are not interested in the
money donate them to Repository
making a point that it is preserved as a
contribution from your family. Do not
allow it to be destroyed. Try to keep
them your next generation will thank
you.
Heritage at Home
Heritage at Home
Repository

34. Heritage at Home
Repository
The Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum .
It is in Pune, Maharashtra, India.
It contains the collection of Dr.
Dinkar G. Kelkar (1896–1990),
dedicated to the memory of his
only son, Raja. The museum's
collection depicts the skills of the
Indian artists of the time. The
door frames, vessels, Utensils,
ornaments, musical instruments,
lamps, paintings and carvings
represent outstanding examples
of their art.

35. Heritage at Home
Home Collection
Heritage at Home is a matter of
pride. This is a part of my home
collection housing artefacts from
everyday use. You need not have
item of the same genre to build a
collection. It could be just one
item each of several artefacts
placed to gather thematically. For
example all items related to the
Buddha could be together. All
Puja Saramjan could be placed in
one place.

36. Heritage at Home
Home Collection

37. Heritage at Home
Home Collection
Heritage at Home is a matter of
pride. This is a part of the
Collection of Mill Labels of Tirtha
Tanay Mandal.
Labels used by different cotton
Mills in Maharashtra.
Chika, Mill Label
Chromolithograph, Published by
Chika Ltd .
Bird Mill Label,
Chromolithograph, Published by
Ratanchand Chunilal and Co.,
Printed in India, late 19th
century

38. Heritage at Home
The Presenter
Aloke Kumar is a Faculty Member lecturing in
Communications at the University of Calcutta, in
the Department of Journalism and Mass
Communications. He is also a Visiting Lecturer at
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta,
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO),
Ahmadabad and various Universities, among
them are the Institute of Mass Communications,
New Delhi, and International Management
Institute, Calcutta. He is an avid He is collector of
antique books and materials having inherited a
legacy from his father Nirmal Chandra Kumar.
He loves teaching, plants, classical music and
literature but not necessarily in that order.
You can be in touch with him at :
https://web.facebook.com/prof.alokekumar
https://twitter.com/ProfAlokeKumar

39. Prof. Aloke Kumar
D 560 Lake Gardens
Calcutta: 700045
The End