This particular tea set belonged to my grandmother’s sister-in-law, Padma, known to the family as Paddi, who bought it from Banaras sometime in the 1950’s for 14 rupees. Perhaps it was made in Banaras, or elsewhere. One will never know, as there are no legible markings or etchings on it.

I never knew my nana, my maternal grandfather. Everything I know about him is through conversations with my mother. His name was Sri Ram Puri and he worked as an engineer with the royal families in Punjab and Rajasthan. This gramophone belonged to him.

My paternal grandfather, Dadaji, Bhanu Pratap Singh, purchased this mantle clock from London back in 1959. It is a mantle alarm clock manufactured by Kienzle Uhren, one of Germany’s oldest watchmakers.

“We still have its shoe from its breaking in”, continued Nana ji. Suddenly, I stopped laughing and tried to absorb what that meant. An old horseshoe was brought out and passed around the room. It was made of solid iron, and I could still see the ridges on the curved edge. The metal felt cold in my hands while the realisation sank in that I was holding an object which was more than a century old.

My earliest memory of these idols is waking up to pitaji, my paternal grandfather praying to them every morning. The sound of his voice while he tended to these idols was so emotional and loving, that it haunts me till date. Almost as though it was a very private and sacred conversation between them.