In many ways, LM Lakshmanan is living his boyhood dream. “I was interested in automobiles because of my grandfather, who had a standard companion, (1955 estate car) with a big boot, and as children, we loved traveling in and around Karikudi. I was sad. I felt that I did not have enough money to buy a car. “
Decades later, Sh. Lakshmanan, who runs a security camera business with customers in Karikudi and Chennai, has a museum full of not only vintage cars, but two-wheeler and three-wheelers. And as an extension of his love for other forms of classic technique, he has added toys, cameras and recording equipment to the collection at his Chettinad Vintage Gallery at Peltiyarpatti in Tirupathur taluk in Sivaganga district.
Located in the middle of a busy pilgrimage route, covering the historic local Karpaga Vinayagar temple and the nearby Kunnakudi Shanmuganathar temple, the Chettinad Vintage Gallery is a capsule of the times that once housed the Nagardhar Chettiar community of this culture-rich region of Tamil Nadu Was removed. .
“Chettiar was one of the first non-resident Indians (NRIs) in our state. They made a name for themselves abroad in finance and business since the 1920s, and brought beautiful things back from wherever they traveled. Many of the old foreign goods in the region can be traced to that period. I have also seen a 1920 Willys Overland car (made in Canada) in a nearby village, ”says Mr. Lakshmanan.
Chettinad today is a cluster of 60-70 villages with a small section mainly in neighboring Pudukottai district, mainly in Sivagangai district.
Burma is known for its stately homes equipped with teakwood and other imported materials.
“After World War II and in the 1960s the community was badly affected by the repatriation of Burma, and then the demonetisation business in India. [among the main Chettiar occupations] During the emergency. Many families start selling their property to educate their children and shift to big cities, ”says Mr. Lakshmanan.
Ironically, this led to a new line of trade in Chettinad’s antiques, and almost everything, from carved cast iron furniture to teakwood doors and ceramic cupboard handles, to a visit to the famous flea market in Karaikudi. Items looted from homes will be seen. The area is for sale.
“I bear many things for my collection, especially clocks, metal toys and some cars from the Chettiar family homes in and around Peltiyarpatti,” says Mr. Lakshmanan. “I was amazed to see the cheaper goods collected in those days.”
Auto history
A framed driving license from the 1950s places visitors at the entrance. “Cars were often passed from father to son as property in those days,” said Mr. Lakshmanan, noting that his uncle inherited his grandfather’s champion, and he did it well into the 1990s Drove.
Automobile lovers can take a closer look at the many restored models here, which are converted from a striking red Austin 10 Tourer 1933 with wooden spoke wheels purchased from a restorer in Jaipur. Next to it is a 1951 Morris Minor made in England.
“It took me two years to restore this car,” Mr. Lakshmanan says, as he turns on his distinctive pop-up ‘semifour’ indicator lights. During the lockdown, he was working on the undercharge of a 1956 baby blue Plymouth purchased from a filmmaker in Chennai. There is also a small line-up of scooters and auto rickshaws built in the 1950s.
Edison phonograph
On the Sri Lankan desk is an Edison phonograph, invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1898, and is thought to be the predecessor of record-players purchased from a collector in north India.
The metal seal on the edge reads: ‘Licensed by the Addison Bell Consolidated Phonograph Company for use except in Europe, Canada and the United States Continent. Can not be used in relation to automatic or slot devices. ‘
Mr. Lakshmanan’s tin toys retain his shiny painting; Here too, miniature cars are in the majority.
There are transistors and telephones, and some unique office equipment such as the 1930s German Brunswiga (steel of mind) calculators were salvaged from a shop.
As a tribute to Karaikudi’s historical relationship with the making of Tamil cinema, the museum also has an enclosure dedicated to old film cameras. It’s easy to lose track of time at the Chettinad Vintage Gallery (despite all the clocks in the 4,000-square-foot hall), but Lakshmanan is happy for visitors.
