A sojourn with antiquity
Heritage
By Suparna-Saraswati Puri

AT the foothills of the Western Ghats, popularly known as the Sahyadris, on the eastern slopes from where the Deccan plains start emerging from an undulating hilly terrain, in a slight hollow on the banks of the Mula and Mutha, is situated the city of Pune, once described as the queen of the Deccan. The city still retains this position by its old historical associations, its picturesque surroundings and its importance as a great cultural, social, educational and political centre.

Although, it is growing fast on all sides everyday with its ever-increasing industrial and commercial activity, one still smells in its refreshing air the aroma of nostalgic memories of the not-too distant past, when Pune enjoyed the status of the principal seat of the Maratha edifice.

The majestic Shaniwar Wada, Ambarkhana or the Lal Mahal, Vishrambagwada, Parvati and a number of such other places temples and movements remind us of the past glory and the rich cultural heritage of the Maratha period.

In this city of the past is located the fantastic wonder house, almost a dreamworld, known as the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, created by a great little man, only 90-year young, Dr Dinkar Gangadhar Kelkar.

In his own words Dr. D.G. Kelkar wrote: "No other lady could have spend fifty green years of her life travelling and wandering all over the great country with a man so obsessed. A man whose sole concern was to bring home all things crafted and beautiful.That man remembers every journey, every moment of the way, and bows his head with gratitude and love to his dear wife, the late son Kamata, to whom he owes everything."

What humility and complete dedication towards one’s partner! This in itself draws an art lover even closer to the life and contribution of this common man of Pune. Born in 1896, D.G. Kelkar belonged to a reasonably well-to-do Brahmin family. Kelkar made his living by making spectacles and repairing them in a tiny shack of his own in one of the congested bazaars of Pune city. He had 13 children from his marriage but by with terrible misfortune none of them survived. even the one on whose name the museum was (later) founded, Raja, lived only till the tender age of 12. It was party this tremendous loss that compelled Dinkar Kelkar to do something for the sake of posterity both for his child and the country he was so fond of. He along with his wife left the comforts of a home and travelled the length and breadth of

India, collecting any kind of handicraft that came his way. It is this obsessive and art-impulsive trait of Kelkar himself, that is blatantly exhibited in this heritage ‘Shrine’.

The museum is housed in Dr Kelkar’s own ancestral residence which is a four-storey haveli, with each of its floors exhibiting a different range of Indian art and craft.

Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum enjoys its international fame primarily due to the superb craft section devoted to the Indian woman. The founder and honorary director of the Museum, Dr. D.G. Kelkar, with his boundless energy and enthusiasm for artistic creativity, embarked on the creation of what can only be stated as the most remarkable museum on Indian woman in the country. The idea took definite shape after Dr. Kelkar happened to meet Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who openly expressed her appreciation of his relentless efforts and the need for a place totally dedicated to the traditional womenfolk of India and their lifestyle. Hence, this section was added later to the rest of the collection. a certain amount of sensitivity is felt while viewing the objects as they have been divided in accordance with the time of their use during the day.

Besides the women’s section there is also a toy corner in one of the floors of the museum showing paper masks, handicraft dolls and puppets, clay, metal and terracota models of bullock carts, soldiers, animals and birds. Seeing all these cute little exhibits one is immediately transported back in time to one’s childhood.

Next came the exquisitely carved crafts from all types of wood, whether it was the 10-15 feet doors decorated with five panel work, or the tremendous collection of musical instruments, or huge statues of mythical characters from ancient Indian legends — all were completely enchanting to the viewer’s eye. And last but surely not the least was the entire floor on ancient Indian iconography. The most unusual postures of some of the deities such as Vishnu and Ganesha were really amazing look at. Few of these icons had eyes made from uncut precious stones such as ruby. The floor also had the lamp collection displayed beautifully. It had one very curious looking exhibit called the poison lamp made of stone. The story goes that wherever the Peshwa sat for his meals, he would first put a bit of the cooked food, inside the lamp and if within a few seconds the colour of the stone lamp changed, it meant that the Peshwa’s meal had been poisoned. This test could also specify the animal whose venom had been used in poisoning the meal. Indeed, a remarkable vigilance technique on the part of the medieval Deccan rulers!

Currently, however, the museum has showcased only one-tenth of the real collection made by Kelkar, due to paucity of space. A proposal has been made to the government of Maharashtra for providing an area of 10 acres so as to do justice to the founding-father’s efforts in building a heritage centre. Dr. Kelkar possessed a multi-faceted personality with literary learnings.

Dr Kelkar was awarded a Padmashree by the Government of India and a D.Litt. from the University of Poona. However, for us art lovers, his name undoubtedly occupies a proud place in the annals of culture and tradition of India.