1000-year-old ‘Valampuri sangu’, on display at exhibition in Madurai Government Museum

The more than 300 antiques were the collections of S. Joy Shekar, an Income Tax Officer, at Madurai and a few inherited ones from his forefathers from Kerala. There were some old coins and extravagant watches too. British era coins, binoculars and watches were some of the attractions in the expo. One of the binoculars was manufactured in 1847 and it is a rotating model. Single eye binoculars were also kept at the expo.

Surprisingly, all the watches displayed were in a good condition and the rare ones included those used by the British Navy.

A silver pen from China was the cynosure of all eyes. This antique, apart from the silver had gold and diamond studded on it. It had a beautiful dragon design, made of silver and engraved on it. They were made

of such fine grains of silver that it glittered when shown in bright light. Can you guess the price of this fine art work? “It is just Rs1.6 lakh. Obviously, one can pay more for craftmanship,” explained Joy Shekar.

Joy Shekar, a member of Madurai Philately and Numismatics Association( MAPNA), said that many of the antiques were passed on to him through generations and he has spent a lot of time maintaining them.

Speaking about the Valampuri sangu, he said that the piece is 1000-year-old and its surface is embellished with precious stones. He also spoke high about the Saligram and said that one is lucky if one possessed it.

He also said that he loved the past and also has a vast collection of Royal Enfield bikes in his garage. To be precise, he has 16 Royal Enfield bikes of various ages and the oldest one being a 1956 model which he had displayed in the recent vintage car and bike show held at Madurai.

The three-day exhibition was organised by Durai Vijayapandian, Coordinator, MAPNA.